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SSE – Proud to make a difference to the future of Ireland’s energy supply

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In June, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD cut the ribbon on Ireland’s newest power plant, SSE’s 464MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) at Great Island in Co. Wexford.

The opening, which was hosted by Gregor Alexander, SSE’s Lead Director for Ireland and the FTSE plc’s Finance Director, along with SSE chief executive Alistair Phillips-Davies, was attended by almost 200 guests. Along with An Taoiseach, these included Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources Alex White TD, Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform Brendan Howlin TD, Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe TD and Minister of State in the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government Paudie Coffey TD. Others attending the event included senior representatives of the Irish energy industry as well as key stakeholders and community representatives from across the region.

Addressing the assembled guests Gregor Alexander said he was honoured to host An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD at the official opening of the power plant to celebrate what has been an exciting, and most importantly safe, three year project development journey.

“In mid-April our new CCGT power plant successfully began commercially generating energy for export to Ireland’s Single Electricity Market, concluding more than two years of construction followed by months of commissioning.

“I’m proud to say that the Great Island project has been successfully delivered on budget and to the highest safety and environmental standards in line with SSE’s core values of safety, excellence and teamwork.

“As Ireland’s second largest energy utility, we’re proud of the difference we are making to the future of Ireland’s energy supply. The development of the Great Island CCGT represents an investment by SSE of more than €350m and brings to over €2 billion the total investment made by SSE in Ireland since 2008 – creating jobs, sustaining employment, driving competition and greening our economy.”

SSE’s investment here in the seven years since it entered the Irish energy market through its acquisition of renewable energy developer and greener energy provider Airtricity was hailed by An Taoiseach as a significant contribution to Ireland during what was an economically difficult period for the country.

“The substantial investment by SSE in this 464MW generating station is a real vote of confidence in the economic future of Ireland and I thank SSE for investing in Ireland during that time. Most importantly that investment will increase competition in the electricity generation sector,” An Taoiseach Enda Kenny said.

“Energy drives our economy and, in order to ensure our economy remains resilient, we must continue to support cost efficient, energy efficient, climate friendly energy. I am encouraged to see the ongoing investment and commitment of SSE to Ireland, which has seen the company invest more than €2 billion in the country since 2008.

“The €350 million invested in the Great Island Power Plant by SSE is of great benefit to the people of Wexford, the South East region and the country as a whole, providing over 1,200 construction jobs and over 40 full time staff positions at the plant, bringing the total number of staff employed directly by SSE in Ireland to 820.”

The Great Island CCGT project was acquired by SSE in October 2012 from Endesa Ireland in the very early stages of construction – that acquisition represented an investment by SSE of half a billion euro into the future of Irish energy.

As part of the project, SSE invested €43 million in completing a 41km industrial-grade gas pipeline from Bawnlusk, Co. Kilkenny. Developed in partnership with Gas Networks Ireland, this strategic asset has brought gas to the South East for the first time.

In addition to the 41km pipeline, a 29km natural gas pipeline connecting Great Island to Wexford town has been approved by the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER), and gas network operator Gaslink says it expects natural gas to be available to large customers in Wexford by July 2016.

During the three years of project development, over 1,200 contractors were employed on-site, around 80 per cent of whom were local to Co. Wexford and the South East. In total, around 3 million working hours were expended by SSE’s project team in the delivery of this world class asset.

The Great Island plant entered commercial operation on Friday 17 April when it began exporting energy to the All Island Single Electricity Market for the first time. At that point the new power plant was formally handed over to SSE’s CCGT Station Manager, Padraig Dunleavy and his team of over 40 staff to operate. Again, most of the staff have been recruited by SSE from Wexford and surrounding counties.

SSE estimates that Great Island will save Irish energy customers in excess of €50 million per year as one of Ireland’s most efficient power plants, and will provide additional savings when full grid access is delivered. It’s a saving welcomed by Energy Minister Alex White TD.

“Energy security is one of the key pillars of energy policy, and it is an important dimension of the EU Energy Union. Eliminating waste and the aggressive targeting of improved energy efficiency will be key to our transition to a sustainable energy future. This is one of the few elements of energy policy that is completely in our national control,” Minister White said.

“By bringing competition to the marketplace on the generation and supply side, SSE are part of the process of putting downward pressure on prices and offering choice to the public and business community. This will undoubtedly contribute to both.”

The savings which will accrue to the Irish energy consumer are in addition to the savings which SSE has already delivered to its 800,000 customer base through its competitive price offers in the energy market here as Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE’s retail business SSE Airtricity points out.

“We have achieved phenomenal growth in the Irish energy market, growing our customer base to 800,000 from just 40,000 in 2009. We have done this by offering some of the most competitive prices in the market. In fact, customers who switched to SSE Airtricity have saved over €100 million since domestic market entry in 2009, all the more important given the tough economic conditions we have gone through over the same period.”

The commissioning of the new CCGT plant coincides with the retirement of the existing 240MW heavy fuel oil power plant.

Gregor Alexander continues: “The Great Island site has a long heritage in powering Ireland’s energy needs and SSE is proud to build on that. The old power station was first commissioned at Great Island almost 50 years ago in 1967. The replacement of oil with gas improves the carbon intensity of our fleet, underpins SSE Airtricity’s heritage as a sustainable energy provider and marks another step in Ireland’s energy transition. The old power station played a major role and I am confident that this new one can continue in its tradition and make a critical contribution to this country for many years into the future.

“SSE’s core purpose is to provide the energy that our customers need in a reliable and sustainable way. Ultimately, investments such as Great Island CCGT are about customers, and this new station will provide greater value for all customers in the all-island Single Electricity Market whilst improving the security and sustainability of electricity supply.”

As always with SSE, the company’s commitment is to never compromise on safety. During construction there were no reportable injuries and just one lost time injury (a finger injury). The incident rate last year was 0.21, well below Irish and European rates for construction sites. This achievement is testament to the contribution of everyone involved in the construction of Great Island, including SSE’s project team, lead contractor DCI and turbine manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

Overall, SSE now owns and operates over 1,800MW of generation capacity on the island of Ireland, of which over 540MW is wind power. The addition of the Great Island CCGT, means that the company now has a portfolio diverse in terms of technology and fuel type.

Paul Smith, Managing Director, SSE Generation, comments: “The Great Island CCGT greatly increases SSE’s share of electricity generated in Ireland. We are the island’s third largest generator by capacity, and now own and operate 1,836MW of thermal and renewable electricity generation providing energy to over 800,000 customers, making us the country’s second largest energy utility. The addition of this outstanding asset to our generation fleet means we have a market portfolio across Ireland and Great Britain that blends technology and fuel-type diversity with generation flexibility and efficiency.

“We are building on a proud power generation legacy at Great Island stretching back almost half a century to power a greener and more efficient energy future for Irish energy users. I know it’s a legacy that Station Manager Padraig Dunleavy and his team of over 40 staff will proudly honour in the years to come.”

For more on SSE’s business activities in Ireland visit: Ireland.sse.com

SSE's 464MW Great Island Power Plant-2925

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