A move that came six months earlier than planned, Ireland announced its scheduled shut-down of the Moneypoint coal-fired power plant. At 915 megawatts, Moneypoint is one of the largest energy stations in Ireland and will continue to operate as an oil-based backup under emergency instruction until 2029, The Irish Examiner reported.
Ireland became the sixth country in Europe to end its use of coal with an additional 23 European countries committing to a cleaner energy future.
“While Moneypoint will no longer use coal, we entered an agreement with ESB, following direction from our regulator, CRU, to make Moneypoint units available on a temporary basis as out of market units up to 31st March 2029,” Cathal Marley, chief executive of EirGrid, said. “The units will operate using oil as the primary fuel source and will support the overall adequacy position for Ireland, alongside the other measures in CRU’s Security of Supply Program.”
Located in County Clare, Moneypoint has powered the energy demand of Ireland for 40 years. Environmental advocated said “the ending of its coal operations was the start of what could be a big summer for coal phaseouts in Europe,” EcoWatch Reported. Italy and Spain are said to follow suit this summer with the shutdown of its remaining coal-fired power plants.
“Ireland has quietly rewritten its energy story by replacing polluting coal with homegrown renewable energy,” Alexandru Mustață, a Beyond Fossil Fuels coal and gas campaigner, said.
Jerry Mac Evilly, campaigns director for Friends of the Earth Ireland, encourages Ireland to take the transition from coal to renewables a step further and urged the government to stop Moneypoint from continuing its oil-based backup role. Mac Evilly said the government needs to enact stricter policies to slow the expansion of data centers in Ireland, which will help end Ireland’s dependence on fossil fuels.
Ultimately, the move to end coal-fired energy at Moneypoint is being applauded as the world continues to expand renewables to power the global energy demand.
“This is the end of coal in Ireland and the start of a cleaner energy future,” Paddy Hayes, ESB’s chief executive officer, said.
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