Engineering experts have described the decision to stop burning coal in Moneypoint – the country’s largest power station – as a mistake, and called on the government to bring back coal usage at the station to deal with Ireland’s perilous energy security situation.
The Irish Academy of Engineering – which marshals the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to policy makers – says in a report issued today that the closure of the station, planned for 2029. should be postponed to 2036 to allow for a LNG facility to be developed.
Eamon O’Reilly, chair of the academy’s energy and climate action committee, warned that current conflict in the Middle East conflict had exposed the state’s weakness in relation to energy which he said was “dominated by one thing, to get the economy to net zero by 2050, regardless of expense, feasibility or energy security.”
The engineering expert group said that the country’s energy needs are “today, met overwhelmingly by fossil fuels (83%) with, as yet, only a small contribution coming from indigenous wind and solar (8%).”
“The energy crisis has exposed Ireland’s parlous energy security: the only short-term response available is to continue to operate Moneypoint for a decade beyond its planned closure in 2029,” the IAE noted.
The expert body said that Ireland “needs to act decisively and relearn lessons from previous energy shocks”.
“Moneypoint – the country’s largest power station – stopped burning coal in June 2025 and, under current plans, will close altogether in 2029. In the meantime, it will operate on Heavy Fuel Oil,” the IAE noted.
“While the decision to bring Moneypoint to its end of life was in line with national climate law and with the Climate Action Plan, in the absence of replacing the energy security which Moneypoint provided over the last 40 years, the decision was a mistake and has made Ireland’s energy insecurity even worse than it already was,” it said.
Recent events in the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted this exposure and the decision to close Moneypoint needs to be reversed,” the expert group advised. It made the following recommendations:
• If it is not too late, Moneypoint’s coal handling equipment and large coal yard should be brought back into operation to have the station available to operate as a last resort with the potential to run at full capacity for up to 90 days.
• If this is not possible, then two additional Heavy Fuel Oil tanks – for which planning permission has been secured – should be constructed to double Moneypoint’s Heavy Fuel Oil storage capacity to permit operation for up to 22 days.
• The planned closure in 2029 should be postponed to 2036 to provide strategic energy storage for the electricity system for 10 years while a significantly larger LNG facility than is currently proposed in the State-led Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve
project is developed elsewhere.
“Notwithstanding that this would increase GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions beyond what they otherwise would be, the impact would be relatively small and, when balanced against the energy security objectives which national energy policy must deliver, it would be justified,” the IAE said.
“Progress in replacing fossil fuels in transport and heating has been slow and the timescale to eliminate fossil fuels in electricity generation is indeterminable. Ireland will continue to have a significant dependence on fossil fuels until 2050 and, most likely, beyond. In the meantime, the reality of Ireland’s energy supply risk exposure must be recognised in policy and, where possible, mitigated,” it added.
The Academy issued two reports this morning – ‘Energy Security and the future of Moneypoint Power Station’ – and ‘Worst Ever Energy Crisis?’ – dealing with Ireland’s vulnerability in relation to energy security.
“Ireland is an island – located at the end of vulnerable energy supply chains – with no indigenous resources to adequately and reliably meet the country’s needs. These needs are, today, met overwhelmingly by fossil fuels (83%) with, as yet, only a small contribution coming from indigenous wind and solar (8%),” the Academy said.
“It will take many years to significantly improve the country’s energy security. In the meantime, the only short-term measure available to improve energy security is to keep Moneypoint in operation as a power station of last resort. Notwithstanding that this would increase GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions beyond what they otherwise would be, the impact would be relatively small and, when balanced against the energy security objectives which national energy policy must deliver, it would be justified.”
“Progress in replacing fossil fuels in transport and heating has been slow and the timescale to eliminate fossil fuels in electricity generation is indeterminable. Ireland will continue to have a significant dependence on fossil fuels until 2050 and, most likely,
beyond. In the meantime, the reality of Ireland’s energy supply risk exposure must be recognised in policy and, where possible, mitigated,” the IAE said.