Location: Wicklow, Ireland

The Turlough Hill Power Station is Ireland’s only pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant owned operated by the Irish energy provider Electricity Supply Board (ESB). The plant is located within the mountain and using the stored water on the surface as its source of hydro power.

Mark was involved in carrying out an audit of the existing underground facility, reviewing the passive and active fire protection systems, particularly the compartmentation and smoke and heat exhaust ventilation systems. Following the audit, Mark built the entire facility in a 3D fire and smoke modelling program to examine various fire scenarios including massive transformer fires to see the effects on the egress routes and also the performance of the huge exhaust ventilation systems that used various ventilation shafts for make-up and exhaust air from the outside to deep within the cavernous space. 

In examining the fire scenarios, Mark reviewed failure points and sensitivities to evaluate the effects on the building and from those, make recommendation on certain upgrades or improvements to the fire safety systems.