Dublin’s environment minister Alan Kelly has announced plans for a new 360MW hydroelectric project in Tipperary.
The €650m plant will be developed by Austrian outfits Strabag and Andritz Hydro in partnership with Irish construction giant Roadbridge.
It will use wind energy to pump water into a reservoir at night at the disused open-cast mining site at Silvermines.
The water will be released during the day to produce some 360MW of electricity, Kelly said.
A planning application is expected to be filed later in the year once a feasibility and consultation programme is completed.
If consented, it will be the second such project of its kind in Ireland along with the ESB’s 292MW Turlough Hill facility in Wicklow.
“This announcement is a pivotal announcement for Silvermines, for the wider north Tipperary area and, indeed, the country,” said Kelly.
“For Silvermines, it will transform the mining legacy here from an environmentally hazardous to a positive one, as well as trigger very significant and sustainable investment and employment in the local community.”
He added: “From a national perspective, it will significantly advance Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy, with 360MW of electricity generated for this renewable source five hours each day.”
Image: sxc
