Proposed Midlands €650m Hydroelectric Plant is 'moving at pace'

A LOCAL Councillor told a recent meeting of Nenagh Municipal District that the Silvermines Hydroelectric Energy Store Project has been “moving at pace” during 2025 and it's likely that the company behind it, Siga-Hydro, will submit a planning application before the end of the year.
Cllr Fiona Bonfield said they all want to see this major infrastructural project happen as it will be a major morale boost for the region.
The region has been waiting a long time for it. It was first raised as a concept all the way back in 2010 and a feasibility study was conducted in 2012.
In March of this year, however, the project took a major step forward when An Coimisiún Pleanála stated that the project had been deemed “mature enough to enter the permit granting process for Projects of Common Interest.”
Projects of Common Interest (PCIs) are infrastructure projects which help the EU achieve its energy and climate goals.
The Silvermines Hydroelectric Energy Storage Project, when operational, will be able to store up to 296 Megawatts (MW), with a daily storage capacity of up to 2,175MWh of electricity. This will be sufficient to power 185,000 households or 21,000 small businesses in Ireland every day.
The plant, when developed, will be located on a 148-hectare site on the northern ridge of the Silvermines Mountains. The plan is to utilise a lower reservoir and see the creation of a second, upper reservoir just below the crest of the hilltop.
The Silvermines Hydro project is being developed and managed by Siga-Hydro Limited, an Irish company based in Nenagh. In 2023 the project owners teamed-up with the Foresight Group, a global infrastructure investor. Accounts for a connected firm Silvermines Tipp Hold Co Ltd show that it received a capital injection of €14.5m in 2023.
It's estimated that the project will create 400 jobs during construction and throughout its operational phase it is expected to employ as many as 50 employees in the pumped hydro station alone.
A Stage 2 Concept Exhibition for the Silvermines Hydroelectric Station was on display in Nenagh Library for a couple of days in June. This public event provided information and gained stakeholder and community feedback on the key design and development issues and challenges that needed to be addressed. Comments on the concept exhibition were subsequently fed back to the project design team to inform the preparation of the main design exhibition.
If you would like further information, please contact Siga-Hydro Ltd Community Liaison Officer, Laura at: lmcsherry@sigahydro.com.

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