Bantry Bay to get new sustainable energy facility
Zenith Energy and EI-H2 have announced plans for a joint venture to develop a 3.2GW green energy facility at Bantry Bay to produce green hydrogen and green ammonia.
The new facility, when fully operational, has the potential to reduce Irish carbon emissions by 2.4 million tonnes per year – the equivalent of the carbon emissions of a quarter of all Irish homes. It will operate alongside Zenith Energy’s existing Bantry Bay Terminal, and will be one of the largest of its kind in the world.
The green energy produced by the facility will be used both domestically and internationally, providing carbon free alternatives to help reduce the country’s carbon footprint, and to put Ireland on the green energy export map.
Ellen Ruhotas, Managing Director of Zenith Energy, said: “For many years now, our Whiddy Island operation has supported the security of Ireland’s energy supply. This new joint venture will see Zenith Energy take a pioneering role in the development of a new green energy industry for Ireland. Critically, our green hydrogen and green ammonia production plans align with Government and EU policy for meeting the region’s 2050 climate action goals.”
Pearse Flynn, founder of EI-H2, said: “Ireland is on the cusp of a genuine green revolution. Instead of waiting for someone else to decarbonise our country, we are looking to develop domestic ways of making a real difference. With a renewable source of off-shore wind and water, we can produce real fuel alternatives to help industry and commercial customers reduce their carbon footprint… Ireland needs to think big to realise its green potential, and this project is of the scale required to develop this new industry.”
“Hydrogen will play a key role in meeting Ireland’s climate action targets,” added Gas Networks Ireland’s head of technical competency & standards Liam Nolan. “Our national gas network is considered one of the safest and most modern gas networks in Europe, reliably powering more than 30% of Ireland’s total primary energy needs, 40% of our heating and 50% of all our electricity generation.
“Gradually replacing natural gas with renewable gases, such as locally produced biomethane and hydrogen, is vital to ensuring Ireland’s long-term energy security and net-zero ambitions in an affordable and sustainable way, in line with Irish and European policy. The national gas network is ready to play its role in Ireland’s cleaner energy future by transporting and storing new fuel sources such as hydrogen.”
The new facility could be operational by 2028, by which time sufficient wind generation from off-shore sources will be available to meet the proposed scale of the project.
TechCentral Reporters
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