West Cork green energy facility to be biggest of its kind in world

Green hydrogen and ammonia plant is a joint venture between local company and US-based firm

Ellen Ruhotas, managing director of Zenith Energy, and Pearse Flynn, founder of EI-H2, who announced plans for a joint venture to develop a 3.2 gigawatt green energy facility at Bantry Bay to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan/OSM

A new so-called green energy facility planned for Bantry Bay will be among the biggest of its kind in the world if it gets the go-ahead, its developers have said.

Fresh from announcing the country's first green hydrogen facility at an estimated investment of €120m in Aghada in East Cork last month — and also among the world's largest  — Cork firm EI-H2 has now joined with the Irish arm of Texan-headquartered energy firm Zenith Energy in a bid to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia in West Cork.

The planned 3.2 gigawatt (GW) facility, which will operate alongside Zenith Energy’s existing Bantry Bay Terminal, has the potential to reduce Irish carbon emissions by 2.4 million tonnes per year, which represents the equivalent of the carbon emissions of a quarter of all Irish homes, the developers claimed.

The firms said that Bantry Bay was a strategic choice because it is near some of the most productive offshore locations for wind-generated electricity.

Green hydrogen is described as producing energy through the electrolysis of water, while eliminating emissions by using renewable energy. Its supporters say it could completely revolutionise clean energy, while its detractors say it is too cumbersome to achieve on a mass scale.

EI-H2 founder Pearse Flynn, a Ballycotton native who made his fortune in tech, telecoms, and debt solutions, among other ventures, said he is convinced of the potential of green energy to alleviate the climate crisis, increase jobs, and make Ireland a world leader in green industries: 

"Ireland is on the cusp of a genuine green revolution. Instead of waiting for someone else to decarbonise our country, we are looking to develop domestic ways of making a real difference. 

"With a renewable source of off-shore wind and water, we can produce real fuel alternatives to help industry and commercial customers reduce their carbon footprint," he said.

"The expertise of Zenith Energy, and their existing facility at Bantry Bay, makes for an ideal partnership as we begin this journey: 

Ireland needs to think big to realise its green potential, and this project is of the scale required to develop this new industry.  

Managing director of Zenith Energy, Ellen Ruhotas, said the project is an "excellent opportunity for our Bantry operations, for the local community and for Ireland as a country".

"For many years now, our Whiddy Island operation has supported the security of Ireland’s energy supply. 

"This new joint venture will see Zenith Energy take a pioneering role in the development of a new green energy industry for Ireland. 

"Critically, our green hydrogen and green ammonia production plans align with Government and EU policy for meeting the region’s 2050 climate action goals."

The firms have started a year-long feasibility study before an application for planning permission will be made, they said. If given the go-ahead, it could be operational by 2028, by which time it said sufficient wind generation from off-shore sources will be available to meet the proposed scale of the project.

Energy produced by the overall facility would be used both domestically and internationally, the firms said.