New €2bn renewable energy plant planned in Ireland will be built in Co Carlow.
Irish company Net Zero Energy – NZE said the long-duration energy storage project is going to be based outside the town of Tullow.
The plant, to be built at the Rathrush Green Energy Park, is going to utilize surplus renewable energy coming from wind and solar farms.
According to the company, the energy is being lost now because of insufficient grid capacity as well as lack of demand at specific times in order to produce green hydrogen.
Apparently, this hydrogen is going to be stored beneath the location in lined rock caverns, prepared to be discharged as clean electricity when it is needed.
The New €2bn renewable energy plant will save approximately 180,000 tonnes of Co2 emissions a year, which is equivalent to taking about 40,000 cars off the road, said NZE.
The multi-billion-dollar development is expected to generate almost 1,500 jobs on site throughout the construction phase, with around 70 long-term, highly skilled employment opportunities once it is completed.
The company aims to hold a community consultation programme over the next few months before submitting a formal planning application by the end of 2026.
According to Peter Harte, the chief executive of NZE, this project is a significant and timely solution to the current energy crisis that Ireland is facing.
He adds that “by harnessing an energy source that was heretofore being wasted, we can insulate consumers from future fossil fuel crises and price shocks such as we saw in the aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and more recently, in the Middle East.”
The 600 MW of renewable energy that will be made accessible could meet a maximum of 10% of the peak energy requirement of Ireland.
The plant will have 7 times the generating capacity of Ardnacrusha on the Clare-Limerick border and, as a matter of fact, store 30 times more renewable energy compared to Turlough Hill located in the Wicklow Mountains.