Tarbert Power Station to cease operations

THE VIEWS from the ferry of the billowing steam and smoke from the pillars of Tarbert Power Station, crossing the Shannon Estuary will soon be no more.

Tarbert Power Station is set to shut off its turbines by the end of 2023, in line with current environmental requirements set out by the European Union.

While the existing plant will cease operations this year, SSE Thermal has already outlined plans for a new power station at the site with a generating capacity of up to 300MW, which would initially run on sustainable biofuel with the potential to convert to hydrogen in the future.

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This forms part of SSE’s commitment to supporting Ireland’s energy transition to net zero.

In addition, SSE Thermal is engaged in discussions with Irish Authorities on a potential Temporary Emergency Generation project at Tarbert, which would provide an additional 150MW of generation capacity and cease operations no later than 2028.

In preparation for closure, SSE Thermal has today commenced a redundancy consultation process with 37 staff at the site.

SSE will work to ensure, where possible, that employees are redeployed across other parts of the group, including potential future projects at the Tarbert site itself.

Some will have a continuing role beyond station closure in managing the decommissioning of the plant.

Where redeployment is not possible, SSE will offer employees release on enhanced terms.

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Catherine Raw, Managing Director of SSE Thermal, said: “Tarbert Power Station has a proud history of power generation and while the existing station is coming to the end of its life, we believe the site itself can be home to a new generation of low-carbon flexible power assets.

“I would like to thank the team at Tarbert for their contribution. They can take pride in their stewardship of the plant, and as a company we will do everything we can to support them as we enter the consultation process,” she said.

SSE employs 1000 people in Ireland and its business includes owning and operating 28

wind farms totalling 890MW across the island.