Vol. 400 No. 9
80 Mr. Barry asked the Minister for Energy the way in which the current generation cost of electricity in Ireland compares with coal and gas; and the way these alternatives would compare if full environmental costs were taken into account.
In 1989 the cost of producing a unit of electricity at Moneypoint (coal) was 1.494 pence and 2.025 pence at Aghada (gas).
Use of natural gas for a substantial part of their generation would be a cheaper option for the ESB than fitting emission control equipment to Moneypoint power station in the context of limiting overall emissions from existing plant. It is not possible to calculate a precise cost of the impact on the environment, from the use of coal for electricity generation in Ireland.
The comparative costs of new gas or coal fired plant have not yet been examined in detail as the ESB will not need to construct new generating plant for some time yet. I will be asking the ESB to consider all costs, including environmental costs, when they are preparing options for possible new generating plant.
