Planning granted for 114MW Bellacorick power plant

PLANNING permission has been granted for the development of a 114 Megawatt gas fired peaking plant to be located in Bellacorick in north Mayo.

Mayo County Council granted planning permission to Limerick-based company, Constant Energy Ltd to develop the gas fired peaking power plant in the townlands of Croaghaun west and Srahnakilly in Bellacorick.

The development will consist of a 114 Megawatt gas fired peaking power plant which will be capable of running on a mix of natural gas and hydrogen comprising the electricity generating station.

The electricity generating station will consist of two open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) generators each consisting of an air intake filter system, a 28 metre high exhaust stack, air vent stack, intercooler system, turbine control room and transformers.

The decision to grant planning permission was made despite opposition to the development by local residents who expressed concern of how the power plant will affect them from a health point of view as well citing negative impacts the plant will have on the local environment and their quality of life. The nearest property is situated approximately 200 m to the southwest of the application site, with the next nearest property located 900m to the south. The nearest property to the north is 1.1km away.

The site of the proposed OCGT Peaking Plant is located at the site of an abandoned farmstead consisting of a bungalow farmhouse and farm buildings set on a raised area of land immediately adjacent to the Oweninny River approximately 1.8km from the village of Bellacorick.

The applicants stated that the plant will be supplied with natural gas from a spur off the gas transmission network but it can also operate using a blend of hydrogen which can be supplied with hydrogen from a neighbouring Hydrogen Plant.

As an emergency backup, the OCGTs will also be able to operate on diesel fuel which will be stored onsite; but the applicants state it is unlikely that this will ever be needed. Electricity will be exported to the national grid via a 110 kV substation located on the site.

In the planning statement, the applicants stated that the development is designed to address the gap between the renewable power being generated and the level of demand on the grid.

“It is intended that the plant will operate as a 'peaking power plant' therein comprising a highly efficient power plant with a low switch‐on price and a rapid start time, which is designed to deliver super‐flexible power generation during times of peak demand for electricity. The proposed development will therein facilitate the integration of more renewable energy into the electricity network, helping to maintain security of supply and supporting Ireland in its transition to a low carbon economy,” the planning statement read.

It was anticipated by the applicants that the plant will be fully operational in 2026 and it anticipated that the OCGT will have a design life of at least 25 years. At the end of the design life, the plant would either be decommissioned or the lifetime could potentially be extended.

As well as submissions by local residents against the development, submissions were made by local angling groups as well as Inland Fisheries Ireland who expressed concern on how the development may impact fisheries in the nearby rivers.

Planning permission was granted by Mayo County Council on December 22, 2023 subject to 32 conditions.