Whitegate power station to remain offline until the end of the year

Technical problems forced the shutdown of the plant in December

The Whitegate power station alongside the oil refinery in Cork Harbour. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney

The Whitegate Power Station in Cork Harbour is expected to remain offline for the remainder of the year putting pressure on Ireland's national power grid.

A significant fault occurred at the plant, owned by Bord Gáis Energy, in early December which is unlikely to see the facility return to power generation until 2022.

The gas-fired 445MW power plant is located in Cork Harbour close to the Whitegate oil refinery. Earlier this year, Bord Gáis Energy notified the wider energy market that the power station would remain offline until the end of June. However in a trading update today, ahead of its AGM, Bord Gáis Energy's parent company Centrica said the power station is not expected to return to service until the end of this year.

A spokesperson for Bord Gáis Energy told the Irish Examiner that the cause of the shutdown is still under investigation.

"On Wednesday 2 December 2020, the Bord Gáis Energy owned Whitegate power station in Cork experienced a forced shutdown. The cause of the shutdown is under investigation and we are working to return the power station to service as soon as possible."

"We have notified the market of our expectation to be offline until 31 December 2021," the spokesperson said.

Construction of the €400m Whitegate Power Station began in 2008 with commercial electricity forming part of Ireland's grid network by 2010. The power station uses a combined cycle gas turbine system which made it one the most efficient power stations in Ireland.

Its loss to Ireland's electricity network for more than a year is considered significant. When fully operational Bord Gáis Energy said the facility can power up to 400,000 homes. It can account for up to 10% of the country's peak energy requirements.

Last year gas accounted for half of all electricity generation in Ireland with wind accounting for approximately 43%. Ireland's goal by 2030 is to have 70% of the country's energy requirements to come from renewable sources, mainly wind power. However, the intermittent nature of renewable sources means efficient gas-powered stations will be required to back up renewable sources.