ESB power plant takes its place as engineering wonder of the world

IT has been compared to the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Experts have described it as one of the engineering wonders of the world and a structure that has changed the way we live.

And the building in question - no not Dublin Castle or the Central Bank - but the Ardnacrusha hydroelectric power station.

The ESB plant in Shannon has taken its place among the world’s elite structures, winning two major international awards.

The International Milestone Award was presented jointly to the ESB and Siemens, who constructed the Shannon Scheme in 1929. The award recognises the scale of the project and how it became a model for largescale electrification schemes worldwide, including the construction of the Hoover Dam. The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers commended the scheme not only for the engineering achievement but also for the immediate impact it had on the social, economic and industrial development of the fledgling State.

The International Landmark Award was awarded to the Shannon Scheme by the American Society of Civil Engineers to mark the station’s huge achievement in civil engineering terms.

Speaking at the presentation, ESB chief executive Pádraig McManus described the awards as a source of great pride to ESB and Siemens, particularly as they mark the beginning of the ESB’s 75th anniversary celebrations.

Siemens managing director Richard Crowe said the significance of the Shannon Scheme could not be overstated. “Most serious historians acknowledge that it provided the platform for the economic, industrial and social development of the country. The Shannon Scheme continues to inspire both Siemens and ESB,” he added.

Officially opened in 1929, the Shannon Scheme cost £5.5 million to build. More than 5,000 men were employed in the construction of the station, which involved creating a canal from the Shannon to feed the dam.

It was the first time a 30-metre drop had been used to power the turbines, creating 90 megawatts of green energy for the electricity grid a day - enough to power 100,000 homes.

During the construction period, 60 miles of railway was built using 138

locomotives and 1,770 wagons, four major bridges were built, nine rivers and four streams were diverted and 7.6 million cubic metres of earth and 1.2 million cubic metres of rock were moved. Since the station first powered up, it has created 21,000 gigawatts of power, enough to power 210 billion standard light bulbs.

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