Concerns about emissions from diesel-powered power plant in Offaly

Locals in the village of Shannonbridge are deeply concerned about the development of a diesel-powered Temporary Emergency Generation Plant (TEGP) in Offaly.The project will be based on the site of the old Shannonbridge Power Station, West Offaly Power.

The site is owned by the ESB, and the new plant is expected to be completed in the near future.The TEGP will be responsible for a reliable electricity supply during critical situations and emergencies.During a public meeting in Shannonbridge Community Hall on Wednesday evening last, the Shannonbridge Action Group raised concerns with members of the ESB present, concerning the possible impact on the air quality in the area and other possible negative implications of the development.

The following day, Minister Pippa Hackett issued a press release in response.

“It’s clear that there are some serious concerns among the community in relation to the operation of the Temporary Emergency Generation plant by the ESB,” she said. “It is very important that these are addressed and I commend the Shannonbridge Action Group for arranging the opportunity for the ESB to meet the whole community and to receive feedback.

“Unfortunately, I was unable to attend in person, but I arranged for representation. I understand there have been problems regarding water supply. I believe that there was a commitment on the night to work directly with those affected and that is very welcome. A wider concern is air quality and implications for health during the operation of the Temporary Emergency Generation plant.”

The Minister said the plant is intended for infrequent, emergency use, to provide power at short notice during "amber alerts" and to avoid blackouts.

The ESB told the community that the eight units will run for, in the region of, one hour each, every month for testing purposes. The Minister said that, given the community’s concerns, she believes that “either the air quality in Shannonbridge requires full time monitoring, or the community needs an unequivocal, science-based explanation of why such full time monitoring is not needed. I have contacted the EPA and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to follow up on this and I will keep Shannonbridge Action Group informed.”

Vincent Darcy, Chairperson of Shannonbridge Action Group, told The Midland Tribune that about 70 people turned up for the meeting, including several politicians.

“The eight diesel-powered generators in the new plant have been built and they are very near being commissioned,” said Vincent. “They could be operational within a matter of weeks. The generators are being controlled by Eirgrid. If the national grid goes into amber alert then Eirgrid will remotely turn on the generators which will be emitting smoke through their eight, 15-metre high chimneys.”

Vincent said the community had been concerned about possible noise pollution from the generators.

“However, the ESB have allayed our fears on this matter. People were worried that they might be relaxing in their gardens, or whatever, and their relaxation would be spoiled by the sound of the generators. The ESB took a group of us to the new generators and showed us the sound barriers that have been erected around the generators. This has eased our fears, for the moment at least.”

He added that one person from a neighbouring parish told the meeting that their house was without water, which could have been linked to the construction of the generators. However, there have been no other water issues anywhere else in the Shannonbridge area during the construction of the new plant.

“However, the construction period did worsen our already significant parking problem on the village's main street. Parking has been an issue in the village for a number of years. There's a pinchpoint at the village's only convenience store, where the parking is problematic. The issue was made worse during the construction phase.”