6 December 2023
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Seán Kelly MEP has welcomed that the development, construction, and operation of Europe’s first-ever ammonia-fired power generation facility at Whitegate Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power station in Cork is being explored. The Ireland South MEP described it as “an important step towards a low-carbon and competitive economy”.
“For Ireland, wind energy remains our most available and reliable resource. This sector will be vital for Ireland, but if we combine this with ammonia and green hydrogen production, the country could undergo a transformative shift towards a low-carbon and competitive economy,” MEP Kelly said.
Kelly, an advocate for sustainable energy, further stressed the regional importance of the initiative, stating, “The Ireland South region is a prime location for both ammonia and green hydrogen production, and I am very pleased to see the possibility of constructing an ammonia-fueled electricity generation plant at Whitegate in Cork. In fact, it would be the first such power plant in Europe with only one other such plant in the world.”
“In addition to Cork, the deep waters of the Shannon Estuary and Foynes Port are ideally located and should be a focus for government action to spur regional industrial ecosystems,” Kelly noted. “Many people in the area are upset about the on-going LNG terminal dispute; therefore, Shannon Foynes should be one of the first names on the team sheet for such developments. This was essentially the conclusion of the Shannon Estuary Task Force’s report, so I hope to see more and more investments in the region in the coming years.”
The Whitegate CCGT power station, once transformed, would serve as a global demonstration site for ammonia-fired power generation technology, offering invaluable insights into the feasibility and scalability of low carbon ammonia as a green fuel. This project marks a significant stride towards shaping the future of power generation worldwide.