By Michelle Weir and Local Democracy Reporter,Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter

Copyright northernirelandworld

The application, which has been submitted by an agent on behalf of EP Ballylumford, indicated “temporary” permission is being sought to “allow comprehensive engineering redesign and procurement of a permanent replacement stack”. In December of last year, electricity generation was halted temporarily at the power station outside Larne after structural damage was caused to a chimney during Storm Darragh. In an update in March, EP UK Investments said repairing structural damage to the chimney is an “extremely complex task” and the plant was operating at 60% capacity. A planning supporting statement submitted with the application said: “In December 2024, extremely high winds during Storm Darragh resulted in significant damage to one of the existing 75m flue stacks located at the rear of ‘C’ station known as the ‘GT21’ main stack. “In order to keep gas turbine 21 within ‘C’ station operational, it has been necessary for the applicant to urgently replace the damaged stack with a temporary stack measuring 50.8m high so the applicant can continue to fulfil their contractual obligations to the System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI) to generate electricity and ensure the ongoing stability and security of the region’s electricity supply,” the statement explained. Get the Northern Ireland World newsletter – sign up now The replacement stack became operational in July 2025 and is intended to remain in place for a period of up to three years. During this period, “comprehensive engineering, redesign and procurement” of a permanent replacement stack will take place, the statement said. Emissions from the replacement stack have been “considered acceptable” by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency, it was reported. The statement also noted: “In terms of safety, existing operations at Ballylumford Power Station are already strictly controlled in accordance with the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations (NI) 2015.” Ballylumford is one of three power stations in Northern Ireland. It has been generating electricity since 1943. At present, Ballylumford Power Station, a predominantly natural gas-fired facility, generates approximately 688 megawatts of electricity. It is also home to a 275 kilovolts and a 110 kilovolts electrical substation operated by Northern Ireland Electricity Networks. Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter