An Bord Pleanála has granted planning permission for a significant new gas power plant in County Kerry, approving Shannon LNG Ltd’s application for a facility on a 630-acre site between Tarbert and Ballylongford along the Shannon Estuary.
The approved development will feature three turbine halls, each housing two gas turbines with generators and two heat recovery steam generators topped by 35-meter exhaust stacks. The plan also includes a substantial 120-megawatt hour battery energy storage system and a 220kV electricity connection cable to link the power plant to the national grid.
Kerry TD and Minister for Children Norma Foley expressed support for the decision, noting: “The land bank in Tarbert has been ripe for development for many decades. The granting of planning permission for this project has the potential to bring significant employment opportunities to the area.”
Fianna Fáil MEP Billy Kelleher characterized the approval as “an important milestone in ensuring Irish energy security into the future,” while criticizing previous delays. “Too much time has been wasted over the last 16 years to get to this point. If planning permission had been granted at the start; the facility would have been operational over a year ago,” Kelleher stated.
According to The Journal, the project has not been without controversy, however. The development has faced sustained opposition from environmental activists and local groups who have long resisted LNG infrastructure in Ireland. Critics argue that such facilities could facilitate the importation of fracked gas and commit Ireland to fossil fuel infrastructure at a time when the country should be reducing greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change concerns.
The 600 MW power plant represents one of the largest energy infrastructure projects approved in Ireland in recent years and signals a significant development in the country’s approach to energy security and generation capacity.