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A spin-off of civil engineering firm Liffey Developments
is spending €100 million on building a system that will use
geothermal energy to provide heating and hot water to 60,000
homes.
The Irish Times reports that Geothermal Energy (GT
Energy) has announced that it intends developing a district
heating network on Dublin's south-side in the first project
of its kind in Ireland or Britain.
District heating is a system that distributes heat generated
at a central location to homes and businesses in a particular
area. GT
Energy intends using geothermal energy - that is,
heat which is naturally generated between 2,500m and 6,000m
under the earth's surface - to power the system.
Countries such as the US, Germany, France and Iceland are
already successfully exploiting this form of energy.
The company will invest €100 million in the project. The
plans include building plants at Grangecastle, Newcastle and
Tallaght.
GT Energy is an independent company that grew out of Liffey
Developments - a civil engineering firm whose clients have
included Ballymore Properties, Ellier Developments and Iarnród
Éireann. GT believes it will produce enough power to provide
the heating and hot water needs of the equivalent of 60,000
homes.
Commercial director, Pádraig Hanly said that work will begin
on the Tallaght facility in 2009 and that it should be operating
fully in three to four years. The remaining plants should
be on line by 2016. The company has already done the exploration
work needed to identify suitable plant sites. Sustainable
Energy Ireland (SEI) supported the final phase of this work.
Mr Hanly suggested that the system could prove a draw to
mobile investors. "With the introduction of carbon taxes in
2012, access to renewable energy sources is becoming a key
site-selection factor for companies, especially major multi-nationals."
He added that the system could also provide a market for
the residual heat produced by manufacturers.
Source - The Irish Times
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