Damage caused to one of the north’s key power stations during a powerful storm last month has put more pressure on electricity supply, the System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI) has said.
Storm Darragh on December 7 caused “significant and unforeseen damage” at Ballylumford power station in Co Antrim, according to a new report.
The damage has prompted SONI to update it assessment on the potential repercussions for electricity supply in the coming months.
The system operator, which manages the flow of electricity on the grid, said it doesn’t expect any blackouts, but it said the storm damage has “resulted in the loss of a significant amount of conventional generation”.
As a result, it said the power system will experience “tighter margins” for the remainder of the winter period.
EPUKI, which owns Ballylumford power station has declined to comment on the damage, but in its new assessment, SONI said three of six large generators at the power station had been forced into “extended outage”.
It said “complex repairs” are currently taking place.
EPUKI, which is part of Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group, has not provided any detail on when those repairs may be completed.
The EP Group is currently in the process of buying Royal Mail for around £3.6 billion.
SONI’s director of operations, Emma Morris said: “While it is possible the grid may experience more system alerts because the margins between demand and supply are tighter, our expert grid control engineers continue to monitor the situation closely and have a range of tried and tested plans in place to protect the electricity system and manage any challenges should they arise.
“These plans include measures such as maximising the availability of other conventional generation, use of large grid batteries and working with partner grid operators in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland to maximise imports.”
