County: Offaly
Fuel type: Milled peat
Capacity: 90MW
Status: Inactive
Commissioned: 1957
Decommissioned: 2003

Construction of Ferbane station commenced in May 1953, and the first development of 60,000 kilowatts was commissioned in 1957. The second stage of development of a further 30,000 kilowatts commenced in June 1961, and was commissioned in January 1964. This brought the total capacity of the Station to 90,000 kilowatts, capable of producing about 400 million units of electricity a year.

At its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, the station burned 2,000 tonnes of Irish peat daily, producing about 2 million units of electricity daily when its four units were at full load. Each unit consisted of a boiler, a turbine, a generator and a transformer. Boilers 1, 2 and 3 (first development) each produced 100 tons steam per hour, at a pressure of 30 kg/cm2 and temperature 440°C to drive Brown Boveri 20 MW turbines and directly coupled generators at 3,000 revs per minute. The 4th unit (2nd development) had a 130 ton/hr boiler giving steam at a pressure of 63 kg/cm2 and at a temperature of 510°C which drove a 30 MW Parsons Turbine and directly coupled Generator at 3,000 revs per minute. The electricity was generated at 10,000 volts and transformed to 110,000 volts for transmission into the national grid.

Ferbane PR Pamphlet, 1970s

There are two cooling water towers, each 80 meters high, through which 4 million gallons of water per hour is being continuously circulated and cooled.

Ferbane station was demolished between 2000 and 2003.

Click the image above for more technical information relating to the operation of the station.

Click on link below for more information:

Ferbane Power Station from book “A Heritage Inventory of ESB Buildings in Ireland”