A new £262 million gas-fuelled power station was officially opened in Co Derry today.
The new station was built by ESB International at Coolkeeragh outside Derry City and replaces the heavy fuel oil station that had been operating on the site since 1959 and ceased operation last March.
The ESB claims the power station - uses the latest technology to produce electricity - is the most efficient on the island
The plant was jointly opened by the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey and by Angela Smith MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
ESB chairman Tadhg O’Donoghue said the Coolkeeragh plant is a key factor in the development of an all-island energy market.
Mr O’Donoghue said: "The efficiency of production at Coolkeeragh brings the benefit of lower cost energy to electricity customers North and South, and it is an important step in the realisation of the GB/Ireland regional energy market".