{"id":13414,"date":"2022-09-03T19:04:25","date_gmt":"2022-09-03T19:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/legalblog.ie\/?p=13414"},"modified":"2024-02-10T10:22:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T10:22:07","slug":"esb-1927-1970","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/","title":{"rendered":"Hydro &#038; Turf 1927-1970"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_63 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#ESB_Boards\" title=\"ESB Boards\">ESB Boards<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#Rolling_Out_Supply\" title=\"Rolling Out Supply\">Rolling Out Supply<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#Pre-Existing_Providers\" title=\"Pre-Existing Providers\">Pre-Existing Providers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#Further_Roll-Out\" title=\"Further Roll-Out\">Further Roll-Out<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#Early_Financial_Issues\" title=\"Early Financial Issues\">Early Financial Issues<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#Liffey_Projects\" title=\"Liffey Projects\">Liffey Projects<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#WWII\" title=\"WWII\">WWII<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#Turf-Fired\" title=\"Turf-Fired\">Turf-Fired<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#ESB_Turf_Policy\" title=\"ESB &amp; Turf Policy\">ESB &amp; Turf Policy<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#Post-WWII_Turf_Fired\" title=\"Post-WWII Turf Fired\">Post-WWII Turf Fired<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/esb-1927-1970\/#Turf-Fired_to_1970s\" title=\"Turf-Fired to 1970s\">Turf-Fired to 1970s<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ESB_Boards\"><\/span>ESB Boards<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Board was to be nominated by the Executive Council.\u00a0 Members were to hold office for five years.\u00a0 Employees were not civil servants and were not pensionable.<\/p>\n<p>The Board sought to be removed from politics.\u00a0 No member could be a member of the Dail or Seanad.\u00a0 It was to be entrusted with the responsibility for making the Shannon scheme a workable economic proposition.\u00a0 From 1932, it was obliged to pay interest on all monies invested in the Shannon scheme, and monies advanced.<\/p>\n<p>The Board was able to help consumers, wire their houses and sell them equipment on hire purchase.\u00a0 ESB was given the power to sell electricity on the outskirts of towns or to sell directly to the consumers.\u00a0 It was given the power to acquire existing undertakings.\u00a0 It was to take over 50 municipal undertakings and pay compensation to the others.<\/p>\n<p>The monopolistic aspects of the bill and the state socialist aspects were strongly criticised.\u00a0 The organisation representing the existing undertakers was very strongly opposed.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rolling_Out_Supply\"><\/span>Rolling Out Supply<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Board was given the following functions<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0to produce and generate electricity in the Shannon Works and to transmit it through the transmission system and extend that system.<\/li>\n<li>Control and manage the proper operation of the Shannon works,<\/li>\n<li>to distribute, use and sell electricity and promote and encourage use of such electricity, to co-ordinate and<\/li>\n<li>improve the supply distribution and sale of electricity generally in the Free State.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The first Board of the ESB was appointed by order on 11 August 1927.\u00a0 It immediately set about staff recruitment.\u00a0 It purchased premises on Mount Street in Dublin as its headquarters. By March 1929, its staff totalled 829, of whom two-thirds had been transferred from acquired undertakings.<\/p>\n<p>Its immediate task was to establish the supply system to distribute Shannon electricity to major cities, towns and villages.\u00a0 This necessitated a survey of towns and villages where no supply existed.\u00a0 It sought to identify demand for electricity in homes, institutions and businesses.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pre-Existing_Providers\"><\/span>Pre-Existing Providers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>86 towns were chosen as being within easy reach of the Shannon lines for inclusion in the first construction program. Another major task was the acquisition of the existing undertakings. The existing Dublin supply was generated at Pigeon House and distributed from Fleet Street.<\/p>\n<p>There was an incompatibility between the direct current of many of the existing local authority and private undertaking operators and the alternating current supply by the Shannon scheme.<\/p>\n<p>The ESB had the authority to issue permits to authorise undertakers for the supply of electricity.\u00a0 They could be revoked.\u00a0 Many were conditioned to apply for 18 months only.<\/p>\n<p>The Board had acquired the undertakings of the local authorities of over 12 local authorities by the early 1930s.\u00a0 In these areas the energy supply continued from the existing stations until they changed over to the Shannon source.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Further_Roll-Out\"><\/span>Further Roll-Out<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Ardnacrusha plant was put into operation in October 1929 and supplies over 110 kV lines to Inchicore were provided.\u00a0 Within a number of weeks, a number of large towns had been connected, including Abbeyleix, Carrick-on-Suir, Droichead, Durrow, Gorey, Maynooth, Rathfarnham, Tramore, Terenure, Wexford and Waterford and Youghal.<\/p>\n<p>By January 1930, the connection was made to Dublin City.\u00a0 Ardnacrusha was synchronised and operated in parallel with the Pigeon House station, with the load being divided between the two.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of March 1930, Abbeyleix, Arklow, Limerick, Marlow, Portlaoise, Sligo, and Tullow were connected.<\/p>\n<p>The weather throughout 1932 and 1933 disrupted the Shannon supplies.\u00a0 Severe storms in February 1933 caused damage to some of the Board\u2019s 100 kV transmission lines.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Early_Financial_Issues\"><\/span>Early Financial Issues<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The speed at which the Board had proceeded had left it unable to fully account for its expenditure.\u00a0 This led to a clash with the government leading to the resignation of the Chairman.\u00a0 The Minister for Industry and Commerce was responsible for accounting to the Dail for the ESB&#8217;s expenditure and there was concern at the inability to present accounts.<\/p>\n<p>Financial sections in the 1929 Act had provided ceilings for working capital. With the development and acquisition of local authority\u2019s undertakings, the financial limit had been exceeded.\u00a0 The Minister cut off supplies, leaving the Board in severe difficulty.\u00a0 The government believed the ESB was exceeding its sanction, and the ESB argued it was necessary for the rollout and operation of the Shannon scheme supply. The Chairman of the Board resigned.<\/p>\n<p>The new Chairman reorganised the board\u2019s accounting procedures.\u00a0 The Board was under considerable pressure in the early years of the 1930s due to the global depression.\u00a0 Prices were increased to meet revenue which had an impact on demand.<\/p>\n<p>However, by the early to mid-1930s, the initial estimates for demand for electricity in the Free State had been too conservative.\u00a0 Pigeon House, which had been closed down in 1930, was reopened in 1932.\u00a0 Accordingly, it was necessary to consider bringing on stream further capacity.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Liffey_Projects\"><\/span>Liffey Projects<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ultimately Shannon\u2019s energy potential was limited.\u00a0 Only the Liffey, Erne, Lee or Blackwater offered potential.\u00a0 Ultimately, it became evident that hydropower could not provide the Free State&#8217;s needs in full.<\/p>\n<p>The Board prepared a report submitted to the Department of Industry and Commerce in 1932 for additional work at Ardnacrusha to provide generating capacity. By 1933, a more powerful generator was installed, which was more efficient and justified its cost.<\/p>\n<p>The Liffey was a relatively small source relative to the Shannon. The transmission costs to Dublin were relatively low.\u00a0 A report was made to the Department of Industry and Commerce in 1936.<\/p>\n<p>The scheme by itself would not be economically viable for a number of years and would require investment and subvention for a period.\u00a0 The Department advised against the proposal, but the government favoured it.\u00a0 Dublin Corporation made a significant contribution.<\/p>\n<p>The relevant legislation was introduced in 1936. An order was placed for the main construction works at Poulaphouca and Golden Falls in 1937.\u00a0 Over 5000 acres of land were compulsorily acquired.<\/p>\n<p>Works commenced in 1938 but were disrupted by the war.\u00a0 Not all equipment had been delivered, although much of the work was substantially done by the end of 1942, as projected.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WWII\"><\/span>WWII<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>The stations were commissioned at the end of 1943 in part.\u00a0 The remaining equipment arrived and by 1945 the Liffey was contributing 15 million units.<\/p>\n<p>Electricity charges increased by 10 per cent in 1941.\u00a0 The rationing of supplies was introduced as the supply of coal became scarcer.\u00a0 A number of customers fell.<\/p>\n<p>Improvisation and use of inferior equipment and fuels were required.\u00a0 However, Pigeon House had a very poor supply of coal and poor quality coal.<\/p>\n<p>Rationing ceased in 1946.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Turf-Fired\"><\/span>Turf-Fired<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Turf Development Board was established in 1934.\u00a0 See the separate section on The Turf Development Board, Bord na M\u00f3na and its history.\u00a0 Turf had been identified as a potentially secure native source of supply for electricity generation.<\/p>\n<p>In broad terms, the government sought to promote turf-burning power stations, and the ESB resisted it as technically and financially costly.<\/p>\n<p>A report had been prepared in 1921 which showed that the generation of electricity from turf was technically feasible. By the mid-1930s, the policy of self-reliance in the context of international tariffs justified the proposal.<\/p>\n<p>In the outset, the ESB doubted the feasibility of a turf burning station.\u00a0 The Department of Industry and Commerce and Bord na M\u00f3na promoted the proposal and supported it.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"ESB_Turf_Policy\"><\/span>ESB &amp; Turf Policy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>At the same time, in 1937, ESB sought to advance funds for a further coal-fired installation at Pigeon House.\u00a0 The government refused sanction aid of its, policy of self-sufficiency and energy.<\/p>\n<p>The government was serious about the proposal for self-sufficiency in energy.\u00a0 The government insisted that an extension to the Shannon works should be next on the program in priority to the extension of Pigeon House coal burning.<\/p>\n<p>The government insisted on a turf burning plant.\u00a0 The department undertook to ensure the requisite turf was available.\u00a0 In 1938, the Board was required to prepare a scheme for a burning station within six months.\u00a0 As a consolation, it was permitted to install its further capacity at Pigeon House.\u00a0 However, no further imported fuel plant would be sanctioned and the development of turf was to take priority.<\/p>\n<p>In February 1939, the ESB decided to proceed with serious misgivings.\u00a0 Tenders were received from Britain and Continental Europe.\u00a0 However, the Second World War had started by the time tenders were received.\u00a0 The advent of war had given the proposal a boost, given the question mark over the coal supply.\u00a0 A \u00a0British firm was awarded the contract.\u00a0 Work was delayed by the outset of the war.<\/p>\n<p>In 1944, the government gave approval for a coal-fired station in Dublin.\u00a0 At the same time, it urged the Board to plan its future generation capacity on the basis of native fuels in so far as practicable.\u00a0 It was decided that Portarlington turf station should be reduced to 12 1\/2 MW, and it was proposed that it would be seen as an experimental station.\u00a0 The government approved the reduction in capacity of the Portarlington turf-fired plant. It saw the Dublin coal station as its main priority.<\/p>\n<p>The government pressed for the bringing on a stream of further proposals for turf plants.\u00a0 As soon as the war ended, the Department of Industry and Commerce and insisted on turf priority again.\u00a0 In 1946, it revoked the provisional order for a coal-fired station in Dublin.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Post-WWII_Turf_Fired\"><\/span>Post-WWII Turf Fired<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Portarlington station was scheduled to start generating in late 1948.\u00a0 It was finally commissioned in 1950.<\/p>\n<p>By 1947 the decision was taken to build a further turf station at Allenwoods with a capacity of 40 MW. The ESB agreed to proceed with the station at Allenwood in addition to Portarlington and to develop Ferbane y hopefully at a later date.<\/p>\n<p>Milled peat was an alternative means by which turf would fire plant. Ferbane plant produced milled peat.\u00a0 Ferbane and subsequent turf-powered plants were based on milled peat.\u00a0 The Ferbane plant became operational in 1956.<\/p>\n<p>A third set of hand-cut turf-burning stations was insisted upon by the government in the early 1950s.\u00a0 It was known to be largely for social and political reasons and the ESB was strongly opposed.\u00a0 The purpose was explicitly social from the government&#8217;s point of view.<\/p>\n<p>A number of sites in Clare, Kerry, Galway, and Donegal were identified.\u00a0 The Minister instructed the Board in 1952 to commence schemes of operations.\u00a0 The ESB required that the cost of idle stations would be met by the government.\u00a0 The ESB argued that it would be cheaper to transport the surplus turf from these areas to other stations.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Turf-Fired_to_1970s\"><\/span>Turf-Fired to 1970s<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Board was advised that the governmental jurisdiction under the Supply and Services Act (Temporary Provision) Act 1946 required the Board to undertake uneconomic projects even if it contravened its duties under the Electricity Supply Act to cover its costs.<\/p>\n<p>The government had, by this stage, accepted the principle of subsidizing social services by the Board in the context of rural electrification.<\/p>\n<p>Ministerial orders t for the four plants were issued in 1953. \u00a0Bord na M\u00f3na was not involved in turf and did not wish to become involved.\u00a0 The Department insisted that ESB should take steps to stimulate the supply of the requisite 30,000 tons per annum per station.<\/p>\n<p>A Swiss firm was retained to complete the work on the four stations at Gweedore, Screebe Miltown Malbay and Cahirciveen.<\/p>\n<p>By the time the stations were commissioned, the planned turf supply in the vicinity was no longer available.\u00a0 Even if it were to be made available, it would exhaust the nearby bogs in a short number of years, after which higher price fuel would have to be obtained ted from further away.\u00a0 The four stations were commissioned in 1957 and were dependent on machine-cut turf for 50 per cent of the minimum supply of 30,000 required to run it economically.<\/p>\n<p>Between the 1950s and 60s a total of 407 MW of turf generating plant was installed.\u00a0 Sod peat capacity was reduced until the early 1960s and became less important.\u00a0 By the end of the 1960s, 1\/3 of the total capacity was based on turf, 2\/3rds were based on milk peat and 1\/3 sod peat.<\/p>\n<p>By the early 1970s the percentage would drop to 25 percent.\u00a0 The stations were concentrated in the South midlands through Kildare, Laois and Offaly at Allenwood, Portarlington, Ferbane, Rhode and Shannonbridge.<\/p>\n<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-13414\" data-postid=\"13414\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-13414 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ESB Boards The Board was to be nominated by the Executive Council.\u00a0 Members were to hold office for five years.\u00a0 Employees were not civil servants and were not pensionable. The Board sought to be removed from politics.\u00a0 No member could be a member of the Dail or Seanad.\u00a0 It was to be entrusted with the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[194],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13414"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13414"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31620,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13414\/revisions\/31620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legalblog.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}