Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) plans to connect fellow State company Bord na Móna’s Edenderry Power complex to its network in a move that it says will reduce the Co Offaly plant’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent.
GNI owns and operates the network that imports and supplies natural gas throughout Ireland, while Bord na Móna is shifting from exploiting the Republic’s peatlands to energy.
The gas networks company said on Tuesday that it has agreed a landmark deal with Bord na Móna to connect the Edenderry power plant to its €2.8 billion supply network.
Once the connection is complete it will cut greenhouse gas emissions from the Edenderry site by 40 per cent, as the move will allow Bord na Móna to switch electricity generators there to natural gas from diesel.
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The project will ultimately enable Edenderry’s generators to run on biomethane and green hydrogen, as they become available, cutting emissions further, GNI said
The Co Offaly plant supplies electricity during periods of high demand, aiding the national grid in balancing intermittent supplies from renewables, whose operation depends on the weather.
GNI will lay a 22km steel pipeline linking its system to Edenderry Power. Construction is due to begin in 2027. The project is in the preliminary planning and development phase, the State company has said.
The firm pledged to meet local groups and host public information evenings over coming weeks to give details of the plan to interested parties.
Brian Sheehan, GNI’s newly-appointed director of assets and infrastructure, dubbed the move a “significant step” for Bord na Móna. “The gas network can be adapted to transport zero-carbon gases, such as green hydrogen,” he said.
John Reilly, head of renewable energy at Bord na Móna predicted the plan would transform Edenderry, saying the project would allow its generators operate more sustainably.
Separately, an industry group argued on Tuesday that the average home could save €227 a year on electricity bills if the Government prioritised solar power in its next renewable energy auction.
The State plans to invite green energy suppliers to bid in its next Renewable Energy Support Scheme (RESS) auction in the autumn.
RESS auctions guarantee the price paid to each company that secures an electricity supply agreement through the scheme, but favours those with the lowest costs.
Conall Bolger, Irish Solar Energy Association chief executive, argued that autumn was the last opportunity to ensure the Republic met its target of installing 8,000 megawatts of solar energy by 2030.
He said a study commissioned by his organisation showed that Government could potentially save the average home €227 a-year, through lower emissions and a reduced public service obligation on electricity bills, if it aimed to hit the solar energy target in autumn’s auction.
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