A new £200m gas-fuelled power station was officially opened in Co Derry today by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, Noel Dempsey, and the North's Economy Minister Angela Smith.
The plant was built by ESB International at Coolkeeragh, 9km from Derry City, and is claimed to be the most efficient large-scale power station in Ireland.
The ESB was able to build the plant because of the opening up of the energy market on both sides of the border.
ESB chairman Tadhg O'Donoghue said the new plant was a key factor in the development of an all-island energy market.
The decision to build the power station required the extension of the natural gas pipeline from Belfast to Derry, bringing with it the added bonus of natural gas for commercial and private users in towns and villages along the route and in Derry.
