Press release

Sod-turning event for new €400 million ESB power plant, Aghada, Co Cork

12th October 2007: The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Micheál Martin TD joins ESB Chief Executive, Padraig McManus, at a sod turning event to mark the start of construction of a new €400 million ESB Power Station in Aghada in east Cork.

The 400MW combined cycle gas turbine power plant will be constructed alongside the existing 525MW plant at Aghada, making the electricity generating facility one of the largest in Ireland. The new plant received government approval in January 2007 and is due to be commissioned in October 2009. The French engineering company, Alstom Power Limited, won the turn-key contract for the construction of the plant.

In addition to the new power plant, a further €100M will be invested in a major overhaul of the existing Aghada plant. A total of 1,000 contractor employees will work on the site during the peak construction period. It will be the most efficient plant on the market, delivering best practice availability levels and operating to maximum flexibility. A staff of 78 will be responsible for the operations and maintenance of the new and existing plant at Aghada.

Under the all-island Single Electricity Market, which comes into effect on November 1st, efficient power generation delivery will be critical to the success of the new pool market and contract arrangements.

Minister Micheál Martin said, "The significance of this project lies in securing our future energy needs and further contributing to a cleaner environment. This large scale investment in east Cork infrastructure is an important factor in meeting current and future demands of businesses and residents."

ESB Chief Executive Padraig McManus said: "This plant represents state-of-the-art generation technology. It contributes to security of energy supply in the Irish economy and enhances our ability to minimise emissions. It is a major investment and involves a significant boost to the local economy.

Denis Cochet, Senior Vice President Global Sales, Alstom Power said, "As a leader in clean power technologies, Alstom is honoured to be part of this project by providing a state-of-the-art solution to tackle climate change and significantly reduce NOx and CO2 emissions by increasing plant efficiency."

Ends

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