Ireland has begun construction of the giant Shannonbridge B battery, which will keep the entire country’s electricity supply in the event of a power outage, local media reported.
The high-tech project worth 130 million euros was jointly developed by Lumcloon Energy (Ireland) and Hanwha Energy (Korea). For the first time in the world, they will combine a huge high-capacity battery with a synchronous capacitor – these are motors that can idle and generate reactive power with minimal energy consumption.
Construction on the facility is due to begin in the village of Shannonbridge at the end of 2022, and is scheduled to be completed for the end of 2024.
The battery’s total capacity will be 170 MWh – enough to provide the whole of Ireland with electricity for 3-4 minutes in the event of a sudden failure.
The primary purpose of the installation will be to support the generation of electricity from renewable sources, such as wind and solar stations.
The country is gradually phasing out fossil fuels and switching to clean energy, but production from renewable sources is volatile, because it is highly dependent on weather conditions.
The new battery will compensate for fluctuations and surges within the national grid, and at the same time, it will support the country’s energy independence.
“In recent months, the genuine effects of climate change, Russia’s immoral war on Ukraine and Europe’s collective response have demonstrated the need to make urgent progress towards moving away from fossil fuels,” said Irish Prime Minister Michol Martin, who opened the construction of the facility.
“This project shows the type of infrastructure we need to decarbonize our electricity sector and secure energy supplies at this critical time.”