The River Shannon is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at 360.5 km in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of 16,865 km2 (6,512 sq mi), – approximately one fifth of the area of Ireland.
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford. Longford County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 46,634 at the 2022 census. The county is based on the historic Gaelic territory of Annaly (Anghaile), formerly known as Teffia (Teathbha).
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain. Offaly County Council is the local authority for the county. The county population was 82,668 at the 2022 census.
The Shannon hydroelectric Scheme was a major development by the Irish Free State in the 1920s to harness the power of the River Shannon. Its product, the Ardnacrusha power plant, is a hydroelectric power station which is still producing power today and is located near Ardnacrusha within County Clare approximately 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) from the Limerick border. It is Ireland's largest river hydroelectric scheme and is operated on a purpose built headrace connected to the River Shannon. The plant includes fish ladders so that returning fish, such as salmon, can climb the river safely past the power station.
Turlough Hill, also known as Tomaneena, is a 681-metre-high (2,234 ft) mountain in County Wicklow in Ireland and site of Ireland's only pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant. The power station is owned and operated by the ESB and can generate up to 292 megawatts (392,000 hp) of electricity at times of peak demand.
The Electricity Supply Board is a state owned electricity company operating in the Republic of Ireland. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concern in a "liberalised" and competitive market. It is a statutory corporation whose members are appointed by the government of Ireland.
Bord na Móna, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company began developing the peatlands of Ireland with the aim to provide economic benefit for Irish Midland communities and achieve security of energy supply for the recently formed Irish Republic. The development of peatlands involved the mechanised harvesting of peat, which took place primarily in the Midlands of Ireland.
Lough Derg, historically Lough Dergart, is a freshwater lake in the Shannon River Basin, Ireland. It is the third-biggest on the island of Ireland.
Shannonbridge is a village located on the River Shannon, at the junction of the R444 and R357 regional roads in County Offaly, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Raghra, at the borders of counties Offaly, Galway and Roscommon, with the majority of the population living east of the bridge in County Offaly. As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 175. There are two housing estates within the village. Its location along Ireland's largest river and its proximity to Clonmacnoise have contributed to tourism being a key contributor to the local economy. The village is flanked by a Special Area of Conservation – the Shannon Callows. The physical environment consists of the River Shannon, callows, boglands and the Esker Riada. The village has one of the oldest bridges still in use over the River Shannon, completed in 1757.
Lanesborough–Ballyleague, more commonly known simply as Lanesborough, is a town in the midlands of Ireland. Lanesborough is on the County Longford (east) side and Ballyleague on the County Roscommon (west) side of the River Shannon. They are located at the northern tip of Lough Ree on the N63 national secondary road at its junction with the R371 and R392. The town of Longford is 16 km north-east on the N63, the town of Roscommon is 15 km south-west on the N63, the town of Ballymahon is 20 km south-east on the R392 and the town of Strokestown is 15 km north-west on the R371.
Corby Power Station is a 350 MWe gas-fired power station on Mitchell Road (A6116) in the north-east of Corby in Northamptonshire. It is near the Rockingham racetrack.
Moneypoint power station is Ireland's largest electricity generation station and only coal-fired power station. Commissioned between 1985 and 1987, it is located on the River Shannon near Kilrush, County Clare. It was constructed at a cost of more than £700m in one of the largest capital projects in the history of the state. The station operates largely on coal, making it both unique in the context of Irish electricity production and the country's single largest emitter of greenhouse gases. It is capable of meeting around 25% of customer demand across the country. It has two Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) storage tanks with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes which can be used as a back-up fuel if required.
The electricity sectors of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are integrated and supply 2.5 million customers from a combination of coal, peat, natural gas, wind and hydropower. In 2022, 34 TWh were generated. In 2018 natural gas produced 51.8%, while wind turbines generated 28.1%, coal 7%, and peat 6.8% of Ireland's average electricity demand. In 2020 wind turbines generated 36.3% of Ireland's electrical demand, one of the highest wind power proportions in the world. While the United Kingdom was one of the first countries in the world to deploy commercial nuclear power plants, the island of Ireland has never had a nuclear power plant built on either side of the Irish border. Nuclear power in Ireland was discussed in the 1960s and 1970s but ultimately never phased in, with legislation now in place explicitly forbidding its introduction.
The Toppila Power Station is a power station in the Toppila district in Oulu, Finland. As of 2019 it is one of the largest peat-fired power stations in the world, with an installed capacity of 210 MW of electric power and 340 MW of thermal power. The facility operates two units of 75 MWe and 145 MWe. The boiler was supplied by Tampella and Ahlstrom, and the turbines were supplied by Zamech, LMZ and Ganz. The power station is operated by Oulun Energia.
Bellacorick or Bellacoric is a townland in County Mayo in Ireland. It is in the Electoral Division of Glenco, in Civil Parish of Kilcommon, in the Barony of Erris, in the County of Mayo. Bellacorick has an area of: 2,789,440 m2 / 278.94 hectares / 2.7894 km2. Bellacorick borders the following other townlands: Killsallagh to the west; Moneynierin to the east; Muingaghel to the south; Srahnakilly to the north.
The West Offaly Power Station was a large peat-fired 135 MW power station in Shannonbridge from 2005 to 2020, in the Republic of Ireland. The station was capable of generating up to 153 MWe of power, thus ranking as the largest peat-fired power station in the country. The power station was constructed adjacent to the ageing 125 MWe peat Shannonbridge Power Station, which operated in stages from 1965 to 2003, and demolished in 2005.
Edenderry Power Station is a large peat and biomass-fired power station at the Cushaling river near Edenderry, in the Republic of Ireland. The station is capable of generating up to 120 MWe of power, It has been owned by Bord na Móna since 2006 and is part of the Powergen Division. It was purchased from E.ON in December 2005. Trials of co-fuelling the plant with biomass commenced in 2007 and were successful. As of 2020, the plant is co-fired with about 62% biomass, of which 336,000 energy tonnes is Irish. The station has a target of 100% biomass by 2023. The ash is sent by rail and deposited at the adjacent Cloncreen bog near Clonbullogue. In 2021 the plant was still burning peat from stocks but was not allowed to cut more.
Ireland is a net energy importer. Ireland's import dependency decreased to 85% in 2014. The cost of all energy imports to Ireland was approximately €5.7 billion, down from €6.5 billion (revised) in 2013 due mainly to falling oil and, to a lesser extent, gas import prices. Consumption of all fuels fell in 2014 with the exception of peat, renewables and non-renewable wastes.
The Turlough Hill Power Station is a pumped storage power station in Ireland, owned and operated by the Electricity Supply Board (ESB).
Rhode Power Station is a 104 MW gas/oil fired peaker plant situated beside the village of Rhode in County Offaly, Ireland. It replaced a 80 MW peat fueled power station operated by ESB that was decommissioned in 2003.
