County: Cork
Fuel type: Natural Gas and Distillate
Capacity: 963MW
Status: Active
Commissioned: 1980
Upgraded: 2010

Aghada was built close to the entrance of Cork Harbour in order to use gas discovered in the nearby Kinsale Gas Field. The station started operating in 1980 and has grown over the years to feature three different types of technology:

• 1 x 270MW Alstrom gas-fired conventional steam turbine (1980)
• 3 x 90MW Alstrom Frame 9B, dual fuel open cycle gas turbines (1980s)
• 1 x 435 MW Alstrom single shaft combined cycle gas turbine (2010)

Taking 30 months to build, the latest combined cycle gas turbine plant is one of the most efficient and cleanest plants in Europe, capable of generating enough electricity to supply approximately 8% of power demand in the Single Electricity Market (Island of Ireland).

Aghada PR Pamphlet, 1990s

With its combination of three types of generating technologies (open cycle gas turbines, steam turbine and combined cycle gas turbine) Aghada is extremely flexible and important to ESB’s generation portfolio.

Click the images on the left and below to view an original PR pamphlet issued on Aghada in the 1990s.

Aghada Powerstation from book “A Heritage Inventory of ESB Buildings in Ireland”