Alternate name: Pigeon House A
County: Dublin
Fuel type: Oil
Capacity: 90MW
Status: Inactive
First commissioned: pre-ESB, 1903
Acquired by ESB: 28 March 1929
Decommissioned: 1976
Pigeon House was built in the late eighteenth century. It was named after its owner, Mr Pigeon, and was originally used as a hotel. The foundation stone of Pigeon House Generating Station was laid by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, TC Harrington, on 10 February 1902, and it first produced electricity in July 1903, at a capacity of 3MW. The station was run by the Dublin Corporation Lighting Committee, until it was acquired by ESB in 1929. The station was redeveloped as the twentieth century progressed, until it eventually reached a generation capacity of 90MW.
ESB Journal, 1960
In 1965, ESB built a new generating station on the site beside Pigeon House, known today as Poolbeg station, named after the Poolbeg lighthouse situated at the entrance to the Dublin port. Pigeon House was later decommissioned in 1976.
Click the image to the left for more information relating to the history of Pigeon House station.
I joined ESB on 29 December 1966 and started operator training at the adjacent Pigeon House Hotel (under Jack Bohan and Aidrian Kelly as instructors). A couple of us went to visit the old Pigeon House Power Plant Boiler House one day early in 1967, and it was coming on load for the mid-day peak. We were amazed to see the coal on the black furnace (chain grate stoker) burst into flames when the ID and FD fans were started.