Kilroot

With no power comes no responsibility – Northern Ireland sleepwalking towards an electricity crisis

Peter Donaghy (Salmon of Data) on July 30, 2018, 7:56 pm

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When Kilroot power station failed to win an auction to supply the all-island Single Electricity Market (SEM) held in December last year, its owner AES announced that the facility was to close. Despite announcing that the power station was to close in May 2018, at the time of writing it remains open. The closure of Kilroot, and the already scheduled closure of part of Ballylumford power station, means that Northern Ireland will lose over 900 MW worth of electricity generating …

Closure of Kilroot – or how NOT to manage a ‘just transition’ to a low carbon energy economy

Queen’s Policy Engagement on March 7, 2018, 12:25 pm

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This is not how you plan a transition from a high to a low carbon energy economy. The announcement a few weeks ago that the operator of Kilroot coal fired power station had lost out in the auction process within the all island Single Electricity Market (I-SEM), and the company announcing it will close the gates in May is not only a disaster for those workers, contractors and communities affected. It is also a major setback for the managed transition …

The case for Kilroot International Airport…

Soapbox on March 3, 2018, 1:44 pm

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You might not realise it, but Northern Ireland’s air transportation links with the rest of the world are controlled by what amounts to a cartel. Cartels in the world of aviation are practically as old as flight itself. This cartel relies on regulation, restriction and operational inflexibility of aircraft type and the ability of airports to set uncompetitive rates. It is for example £28.99 per ton of aircraft and £20.30 per passenger plus security charges to leave from the City …