ESB has confirmed that ‘appropriate mitigation measures’ have been put in place following an oil spillage at its electricity generation station in Moneypoint in West Clare.
It’s understood that the affected areas include rock armour and the foreshore in the vicinity of the station while an apparent oil slick was also recently reported between the facility and Aylevaroo.
It has now been confirmed that a leak in an underground pipeline was first discovered in October 2025 but when initially detected and investigated was found to have been ‘localised’. The pipeline was used during the delivery of oil to the station which occurs just once a year.
The incident was reported to the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) at the time while works were later undertaken to construct an overground pipeline to prevent the issue reoccurring while the underground pipeline has since been decommissioned.
In March of this year when a ‘small hydrocarbon sheen’ was detected along the foreshore at Moneypoint. Further investigation and excavation works were carried out to resolve the problem.
Additional clean-up works are due to commence at the site on Monday next.
A spokesperson for ESB has confirmed: “ESB is aware of the presence of oil staining on a part of the rock armour at Moneypoint, and a sheen on a section of the foreshore. This has been reported to the relevant external agencies and ESB will continue to liaise closely with these agencies.
The incident has been reviewed and appropriate mitigation measures, including booms on the water, have been put in place to address the issue. ESB Environmental Specialists are monitoring the situation and will be carrying out remediation works over the coming weeks.”
It’s understood ‘external agencies’ include the Department of Transport; Irish Coast Guard, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the EPA. Officials are understood to have visited the site to assess the extent of the spillage.
A spokesperson for the EPA confirmed: The Moneypoint incident relates to a leak from an underground heavy fuel oil pipeline that was identified and notified to the EPA in October 2025. This pipeline is only used during deliveries, which currently only occur once a year. Investigations at the time indicated that the impact of the leak was localised. The site commenced work to build an overground pipeline for fuel deliveries to prevent this issue from happening again.
When carrying out trial pitting in the area in March 2026, a small hydrocarbon sheen was observed along the foreshore in late March 2026, prompting further investigation and excavation works in April 2026. The source was found to be a defective section of pipeline adjacent to where the October incident occurred. The pipeline leaked during the October 2025 fuel delivery but was not detected at the time and only migrated to the foreshore in March 2026.
The damaged underground pipe section was removed and sealed in May 2026, with the remaining pipeline being successfully pressure tested that same month. Verification soil sampling was completed in early June 2026. This underground pipeline has not been used for fuel deliveries since October 2025 nor will it be used in future as the overground pipeline is now fully installed.
Absorbent booms were installed on the foreshore by the 20th of August 2026 to manage residual sheen, and ESB has continued to liaise with the Irish Coast Guard and NPWS regarding foreshore management, ecological sensitivities and ongoing monitoring of the affected area.
ESB is now preparing to undertake targeted foreshore clean-up works, including the removal of seaweed affected by residual HFO and washing of the rock armour, to address residual staining and facilitate natural recovery of the shoreline. This work will commence on Monday 7 September, weather permitting,” the EPA added.
