End of an era for Shannonbridge power station

Over five decades of peat-fired electricity generation comes to an end in the west Offaly village of Shannonbridge today (Friday) when the ESB power plant shuts down permanently.

Described as “the end of an era and a very sad day” for the local community by Sheila Ryan from the Shannonbridge Community Action Group, the departure of the ESB from West Offaly is yet another severe economic blow to hit the region.

“There is hardly a family in the village of Shannonbridge who hasn’t had somebody either working in the ESB or Bord na Móna, and that is the reality,” said Sheila Ryan, who added that the jobs which have been lost are “simply not replaceable.”

Over 30 members of the community in Shannonbridge are involved with the local Action Group, and a core group of around six people are currently engaged in the formulation of a Strategic Development Plan for the region in close consultation with Offaly Local Development Company and Offaly County Council.

The focus of the plan is to reinvent the entire west Offaly region as a tourist destination, and Ms Ryan says it was “a huge blow” to the plans for the area when the ESB did not receive the go-ahead to extend the life of the station by using biomass as a fuel.

As part of its plans, the Action Group is hoping to capitalise on the village's proximity to Clonmacnoise and Clonfert, and is hoping that greenways can be expanded to include the west Offaly area.

“As part of the Just Transition funding, we have received an allocation to employ a Project Manager for a three-year period, which is very necessary as there are a large number of strategic partners involved in mapping out a future plan for the area,” says Sheila Ryan.

She acknowledges that, while it is “very sad” to see the ESB leave the Shannonbridge power plant, “doing nothing is not an option and it is now up to us to reinvent the wheel and move forward.”

Shannonbridge has been synonymous with peat-fired electricity generation since a 40MW station first began operations there in late January 1965.

Construction work had commenced on the plant in 1961, at a cost of £2.5m.

Building began on a new €240m 150MW West Offaly Power plant beside the existing facility in December 2002. It was commissioned in February 2005 and the older plant was closed down.

Johnjoe Ryan, who has been running the renowned Lukers pub, restaurant and live music venue in Shannonbridge since 2003, says it is “very hard to be optimistic” about the future for the west Offaly area with the departure of both the ESB and Bord na Móna.

“I have been watching how these two big employers transformed Shannonbridge ever since I was a child,” he says “and the ESB built the very first housing estate in the village for their employees, and their departure is just another in a long series of blows to hit the region.”

Having invested an estimated €500,000 into his business over the years, with no tax breaks, Johnjoe Ryan says there is no possibility of him recouping his investment anytime soon.

“What my business needs is footfall, and there simply is none in Shannonbridge,” he says. “And even if we get a good tourist season for four or five months, what do we do for the rest of the year? Turn the key and live on fresh air?”

In relation to the Just Transition funding, Mr Ryan asks why local business people in Shannonbridge have not been consulted about how the money should be spent, and he says he is extremely worried about the long-term impact of the closure of both the ESB and Bord na Móna. “What is left in Shannonbridge to keep out young people in the area?” he asks. “The future is bleak unless we all work together and try to get tourists not just to come to this region, but to spend some time here, and for that we need to provide them with bed nights.”

Unite trade union representative, Ed Thompson, sounds a more optimistic note, however. While he acknowledges that the closure of the ESB power plant is “a very sad day for the Midlands” he is hopeful that the substantial Just Transition funding will result in “real and meaningful jobs” for the former Bord na Móna employees, and that the rehabilitation of the bogs will rejuvenate the region.

Unite represents certain categories of workers in Bord na Móna, and Mr Thompson says the union is working towards the creation of “sustainable, quality jobs” for the former Bord na Móna employees. “Undoubtedly there will be an impact on the economy of the entire region as a result of the ending of the ESB and Bord na Mona jobs, but it is up to us to ensure that the jobs that are created through Just Transition are long-term sustainable jobs.”

The Strategic Plan for the Shannonbridge is due to be published in the next month, which is when the real debate about the future of the beleaguered west Offaly region will begin in earnest.

The ESB has said the West Offaly plant and its sister facility, Lough Ree Power, in Lanesboro, which will cease production on December 18, will remain staffed until the end of the year.

Roscommon TD Denis Naughten has now called on the Government to stall any plan by the ESB to demolish the power stations at Shannonbridge and Lanesboro.

Questioning the Tánaiste in Dáil Éireann on Thursday, Denis Naughten also called for immediate clarity on the future job prospects for seasonal staff in Bord na Mona and on the rates of pay for the rehabilitation works on the bogs across the Midland counties.

“If they are demolished, it is effectively wasting €176 million of electricity customers’ money in lost operational capacity, which every single family in this country will have to pay for through their electricity bills.”

He went on to outline that “there are three separate power generation proposals of which I am aware, including the conversion of the power plants to hydrogen fuel power. That would be the first in the world if it were to happen”.