The purpose of this report is twofold:
- To satisfy a pre-commencement planning condition relating to the recovery of excess heat from the facility.
- To undertake a Cost Benefit Analysis considering the potential for Combined Heat and Power for any new thermal electricity generator with a total thermal output exceeding 20MWth . This is required by the European Union (Energy Efficiency) 2014 Regulations – Statutory Instrument 426 of 2016.
The revised version of the report found that an estimated heat load of 157 GWh per annum was identified within 10km of the proposed site. Of this demand, a heat (steam) network serving pharmaceutical plants within a 3km radius of the facility represents the optimal solution. There is also the potential for additional heat demand at the Port of Cork.
It is proposed that steam would be recovered from a dedicated turbine extraction point and supplied to consumer sites via an insulated pipe on structural supports. Following transfer of heat to consumer processes, condensate would be returned to the facility for reuse (where possible) or make-up water would replace the exported volume. The preferred solution would be to retain existing boiler plant on consumer premises to supply steam during times of unavailability of the heat export system, (estimated at 760 hours per annum).
An assessment of the costs and revenues associated with the construction and operation of the proposed heat network was also included in the report. While the result of the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) does not yield an economically viable scheme, the CBA calculation does not include any potential grants or subsides which may offset some of the capital and/or operational costs of the scheme. Support from a fund, such as the Climate Action Fund, could make such a scheme viable.