Safety fears see plug pulled on power station

The new €240 million West Offaly Power Station at Shannonbridge, the largest peat burning facility of its kind in the world, has been shut down for safety reasons with losses to Bord na Móna of €5 million.

Already the peat supply company has lost orders worth €2m because of excessive corrosion in the plant and 200 workers at Bord na Móna and the generating station are facing uncertainty. The plant, opened late last year, was designed and built by Foster Wheeler’s Finnish subsidiary, Foster Wheeler Energia.

It replaced an existing peat-fired power station which had been operating on the site since 1965.