Shannonbridge Power Station

Shannonbridge Power Station is a 264 MW peaking power station developed by ESB Engineering & Major Projects on the site of the former West Offaly Power Station. The facility utilises GE Vernova LM2500XPRESS aeroderivative gas turbines, providing fast-start generation to support the reliability of Ireland's electricity network.

Allegro Acoustics has extensive knowledge of the Shannonbridge site, having acted as the acoustic consultant for West Offaly Power Station from 2012 until its closure in 2020. This long-term involvement provided a detailed understanding of the site's acoustic environment and the interaction between the former and proposed generating facilities.

Following the development of the new peaking power station, Allegro Acoustics was appointed by ESB Engineering & Major Projects to assess the acoustic implications of removing buildings associated with the former West Offaly Power Station. A detailed SoundPLAN environmental noise model was developed to quantify the effect that the loss of these existing screening structures would have on noise propagation from the new gas turbine generating plant. The assessment enabled ESB to understand the change in environmental noise levels before demolition works commenced and informed decisions on the future redevelopment of the site.

Separately, Allegro Acoustics was appointed by GE Vernova to undertake the acoustic commissioning of the generating plant. Comprehensive acoustic measurements were completed during commissioning to verify the noise performance of the installed gas turbines and associated plant, with detailed commissioning reports prepared to demonstrate compliance with the specified acoustic performance requirements.

The result was specialist acoustic consultancy supporting two distinct aspects of the project. For ESB Engineering & Major Projects, the work provided confidence that changes to the former power station site would not adversely affect the environmental acoustic performance of the new facility. For GE Vernova, independent acoustic commissioning verified that the installed generating plant achieved its required acoustic performance.