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.

Yesterday, Bord na Móna said they expect to lose more than €5m in gross peat sales to the ESB after the closure of the plant.

Bord na Móna says that with the power station out of action it will be reviewing employment levels in production in the midlands due to high peat stockpiles.

The Finnish company, Foster Wheeler, which also carried out the main building contract for the construction of a second new ESB power station in Longford has been asked to replace piping at a cost of many millions of euro.

Labour TD Tommy Broughan said the construction company must be brought to book over this and the ESB must ensure that they themselves are not forced to foot the bill.

As a stop gap measure the corroded piping is expected to be replaced with similar material until later this year when new materials will be installed at the plant. The eventual fitting out with a new piping system will necessitate the closure of the plant for a second time.

An ESB spokesman said the company remained committed to the West Offaly power plant. Their priority was to return the plant to full production.

There were also reports of corrosion problems in the Lough Ree power plant at Lanesboro in Co Longford, but this was not as serious as the Offaly situation.