Almost 100 years on from constructing the Ardnacrusha Power Plant, Siemens have been awarded the contract for a significant new development at Moneypoint.

ESB have confirmed that Siemens Energy Ltd have been awarded the contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Synchronous Compensator at ESB’s Moneypoint site. This development represents a €50m investment by ESB as part of the recently announced Green Atlantic project at Moneypoint.

A “competitive tender process” was followed, ESB have said which resulted in Siemens Energy Ltd receiving the contract.

The Synchronous Compensator will enable higher volumes of renewables on the system and provide a range of electrical services to the electricity grid which would previously have been supplied by thermal fired power stations. The investment is a key part of ESB’s plans to transform its Moneypoint site into a green energy hub, where a range of renewable technologies will be deployed over the next decade with the capacity to power 1.6 million homes.

September 2022 has been set as the target commercial operation date for the Synchronous Compensator project.

It is not the first time Siemens have been awarded a contract for a significant piece of infrastructure in the county. 1925, Siemens-Schuckert started the works on the Ardnacrusha power plant. A completion time limit of three and a half years, with penalty clauses for failure of adherence to this limit, was written into the contract.

Around 150 of the skilled workers and engineers on the power station were Germans. A camp was set up for the workers that included living quarters for 750 men and a dining room that seated 600. Initially employment for 700 was provided, whilst at its peak there were 5,200 employed during the construction phase, with this dropping back to 2,500 near completion.