Moneypoint power station
Electricity generating station in Ireland
Moneypoint power station (Irish: Stáisiún cumhachta Ghob na Muine) is a large power station in Ireland which ceased to be a coal-fired power station in June 2025. After ceasing burning coal, it is to operate as a "back-up out-of-market generator" using heavy oil for electricity generation until 2029. The facility also operates a flywheel synchronous condenser providing grid-stabilization services.
For a period, Moneypoint was Ireland's largest electricity generation station (with an output 915 MW), and its only coal-fired plant. Commissioned between 1985 and 1987, it is located on the River Shannon, near Kilrush in County Clare, and was constructed at a cost of more than £700m. The station originally operated largely on coal, making it both unique in the context of Irish electricity production and for a while was the country's single largest emitter of greenhouse gases. At its peak, it was capable of meeting around 25% of customer demand across the country but by 2023, coal's share of the electricity fuel mix in Ireland had fallen to 4%.
When operating as a coal-fired power station, it had three Brown Boveri four-cylinder, single-shaft impulse reaction turbines which were directly connected to three electric generators. The steam was generated by three Foster Wheeler two-pass boilers, which converted water into high pressure steam by combustion of the coal.
The power station chimneys, at 218m, are the tallest free-standing structures in Ireland.
01History
Moneypoint was under construction from 1979 to 1987. Before its construction, Ireland depended heavily on imported oil for its energy. During the 1970s, a sharp increase in oil prices over a short period of time led the government and the Electricity Supply Board to choose coal as a fuel, as it was seen as a plentiful resource with a stable price.
In 2019, the government launched its climate action plan which included a commitment to end the burning of coal in Moneypoint by 2025, and replace coal-fired generation with "low-carbon and renewable technologies". As of 2021, one option being explored was a 400 MW floating wind farm with an onshore hydrogen facility. A plan was announced in April 2021 by its owner, the ESB Group, to replace the facility with a green-energy hub.
In 2023, it was reported that the plant would continue operations until 2029 as an oil-burning back-up facility of last resort. By 2024, the ESB Group had been granted permission to convert the facility for use as a Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) generator. It has two HFO storage tanks with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes.
In June 2025, coal-burning ceased at Moneypoint.
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Moneypoint power station”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Inis Cathaigh Moneypoint crop.jpg by Towel401, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tarbert Lighthouse 20120831 IMG 5285.jpg by JoachimKohlerBremen, CC BY-SA 4.0
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