Locals left in the dark over gas power plant plans

News broke last week that An Bord Pleanála has granted permission for a major new 600MW gas-powered powerplant on the Shannon Estuary in north Kerry. The project will provide back-up power to an increasingly renewables-based electricity grid, ie when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine.

Under our Climate Action Plan, the country must deliver 2,000MW of new flexible gas-fired power stations by 2030.

As a result, several new gas-fired power plants have been planned and granted permission across the country, including in Kerry, Mayo, Dublin, Offaly, Galway and Cork, to name a few.

However, one such proposal near the rural village of Kentstown, Meath, has caused consternation among the local community. Polarisgate Ltd, with a registered address in Dublin, submitted plans last October for a 180MW gas-fired plant to produce electricity to export to the grid. Although smaller than some developments in other parts of the country, the project is still substantial, covering nearly 20ac. The local community is unhappy with the proposals, feeling that they were not adequately consulted, and that there is a distinct lack of information about the project.

The Irish Farmers Journal recently attended a public meeting held by community members to discuss the progress of the planning application and their next steps.

When we attended the meeting, which saw around 60 local residents gather at Kentstown Old School Hall on March 11, one thing became clear: the residents knew little about this project until it entered the planning system. Any information they had came from trawling through the planning application.

Lorraine Finegan, who lives near the village of Kentstown, was one of the organisers of the meeting.

She explained to us that there had been no public consultation on the proposal, which is unusual for a project of this scale. Indeed, upon reviewing the planning files, there appears to be no reference to any form of public engagement. To confirm this, the Irish Farmers Journal reached out to the director of Polarisgate Ltd for a comment, but at the time of going to press, we had not received a response.

As a result, there was a clear void of facts about this project, what it entails, why that location was chosen, its purpose and what benefits it may bring to the community.

Consequently, the group had to source their own facts, some of which were true and valid, but others could have been easily clarified by the developer and put the community’s concerns at ease.

Many in the room only discovered the project just days before the submission deadline in mid-November.

The group quickly mobilised individuals, businesses, clubs and politicians to make 200 submissions.

The plant will consist of three 60MW open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) electrical generators, each with 30m-high exhaust stacks, totalling 180MW of capacity near Kentstown, Meath. The site is currently in agricultural use, used to grow crops.

The OCGT units will primarily run on natural gas supplied from the Gas Networks Ireland network which has a transmission pipeline running adjacent to the site.

A secondary back-up fuel supply (diesel) will be stored on site and used in the event of gas not being available. Three bunded diesel fuel storage tanks, each with 1,950 m³ capacity (approx. 1,950,000l), will be installed on the site.

The developer states that the plant is designed to be on standby and be available to operate at short notice, therefore, the proposed hours of operation are 24-hours per day, seven days per week.

When called upon, it is expected that the plant could reach full load within 10 minutes and generate electricity for export to the grid.

The plant is expected to be operational for at least 40 years or as long as is required.

EirGrid/ESB will decide the type of the on-site substation needed (220Kv or 110Kv) and a planning application for this and its grid connection will be submitted to the either An Bord Pleanála or Meath County Council at a later stage.

A question which came up multiple times during the meeting was why the plant needed to be located in a rural area, and if the developer had looked elsewhere.

The site is identified in the Meath County Development Plan as a Rural Area Under Strong Urban Influence.

In its application, Polarisgate outlined the key criteria it considered necessary when identifying a site for the plant.

These included proximity to the gas network and a suitable grid connection, as well as closeness to a substation for exporting electricity, both of which the Kentstown site have.

The site needed to have a suitable and available area of land, appropriate set-back distances from houses and roads as well as adequate screening.

It outlines that the selection process involved avoiding areas of archaeological heritage, areas of ecological sensitivity or value and European sites.

Proximity to a good road network was also a crucial factor.

Among the main concerns raised by attendees at the meeting was the volume of traffic that the construction of this project would generate, and the condition of the roads along the haul routes specified in the planning application.

The developer states that the construction phase is anticipated to last approximately 18 months. During the peak construction phase of the project, it is estimated that between 20 to 50 trips per day will be necessary to deliver materials to the site.

One attendee at the meeting highlighted that, after three years of trying, they had been unable to secure planning permission for a house. The reason given for the refusal by the county council was the increased traffic on the road, which was now identified as one of haulage routes for the plant.

The group also expressed concerns about the proximity of the development to the village and local schools.

The impact of the development on property prices was raised, prompting a question from the floor about whether they should get their properties valued before the plant is built.

Further questions from the floor enquired about the intended use of the power generated by the plant.

There was a suspicion that this could be a precursor to a large energy consumer, such as a data centre, setting up in the area.

There were also concerns about the development of pylons connecting the plant’s substation to the national grid.

On December 5, Polarisgate Ltd received a request for further information (FI), and has until June 6 2025 to submit its response. Meath County Council’s FI is comprehensive, with 21 points needing to be addressed.

These range from justifying the need for the plant and its location, assessing the impact on local grey partridges, reviewing the use of diesel, and addressing concerns raised in the 200 submissions.

The community group anticipates that it will have the opportunity to respond to the FI and is working with legal consultants and seeking advice from other groups on the best ways to respond.

However, this will involve financial costs, and a request for contributions to cover these expenses was made at the meeting.

They also enquired if anyone present had specific local knowledge about unique features, plants, or wildlife that could aid their case.

Sinn Fein’s Deputy Darren O’Rourke was in the room, and vowed to do as much as he could to help the group in their campaign.

Set up in 2021, Polarisgate Ltd states that it is a well-established Irish-owned renewable energy company with extensive experience in the development, construction and operation of wind farm projects throughout Ireland. At the time of going to print, the company had not responded to our queries.