About ESB
Our history, our people and our principles
Turlough Hill & Liffey Stations
Turlough Hill
- Location: Glendalough, Bray, Co Wicklow
- Technology: Hydro Pumped Storage
- Capacity: 292MW
- Commissioned: 1974
Turlough Hill, Ireland's only pumped storage power station, is located approximately 60km south of Dublin City in the Wicklow Mountains. Construction commenced in 1968, and the station became fully operational in 1974.
The station generates up to 292MW during peak demand periods by releasing water from its upper reservoir and allowing it to flow through its four turbines into a lower reservoir. During periods of lower demand the water is pumped back to the upper reservoir ready to be used again.
In 2004, Turlough Hill became the Hydro Control Centre (HCC) for the entire ESB hydro fleet which contains 19 generators in total.
Liffey Stations
The three hydro generation stations on the Liffey are also part of Turlough Hill Stations. These comprise two 15MW generators located at Poulaphouca and two 4MW generators each at Golden Falls and Leixlip, giving a total installed capacity of 38MW. Liffey Stations were commissioned in 1938.
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