Dublin City Council says ESB has not justified need for power plant at Poolbeg site

Dublin City Council has said that the ESB has not provided a justification to construct a gas-fired 299MW power plant at its Poolbeg power station in Dublin.

In January the ESB lodged plans with the council for the open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) plant to provide additional generating capacity during periods of high demand or when weather conditions mean that renewable energy sources cannot suppy enough.

In documents lodged with the application, consultants for the ESB, Mott McDonald, said that the OCGT would “be developed as a commercial project” for which a contract will be sought from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU).

Mott McDonald said that “this type of power plant is designed to support renewables by operating when electricity demand is higher than average and will facilitate increased renewable energy technologies”.

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The consultants said that if the plant did not proceed “the decarbonisation of the power generation portfolio would slow across Ireland and potentially result in extending the operation of fossil fuel power plants scheduled for closure”.

However in response to the proposal, Angela Deegan, of nationwide grassroots group Not Here Not Anywhere, called on the council to refuse planning permission.

Ms Deegan contended that new fossil fuel infrastructure, such as the proposed development at Poolbeg, was not in line with Ireland’s international climate commitments.

Ms Deegan also argued that “new fossil fuel infrastructure of this type threatens our national and local climate targets”.

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Ms Deegan also said that “as a Dublin city resident myself, I am opposed to the granting of planning permission to the ESB for building this expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure in the community”.

In response to the project, the city council has requested that the ESB provide an evidence-based justification for the proposed development.

The council has told the ESB that its application did not give a satisfactory justification for the proposed development “with reference to other proposed, permitted and under-construction gas turbine generators both locally and nationally”.

The planning report, which recommended that further information be requested, did state that the proposal was acceptable in principle as it is co-located with a large range of similar industrial developments “and is a development which is needed to ensure a consistent energy supply as we move toward more renewable sources of our energy”.

The application will become “live” again once the ESB has lodged the required information.