ESB faces €175m bill to keep plant open

THE ESB will be hit with a bill for €175m if it is to keep its largest power station open.

Moneypoint in Co Clare is the country’s only coal-burning station and supplies about one-fifth of the State’s electricity. However, it is also the largest single contributor to Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The State company must be in compliance by the start of 2008 with emission limits set out in an Integrated Pollution Licence granted by the Environmental Protection Agency last year.