Announced by the Ireland Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly, the Silvermines pumped-storage hydroelectric facility will be built at the abandoned Tipperary open-cast mining site in central Ireland.

The project is planned to be developed by a joint venture between Strabag, Andritz Hydro and Roadbridge.

The facility is intended to use wind energy to pump water into a reservoir at night and during the day, the stored water will be released to produce clean electricity to meet the power demands of about 200,000 homes.

Upon completion of feasibility and consultation program, the planning application for the hydroelectric project is expected to be filed later in the year.

Kelly said: "For Silvermines, it will transform the mining legacy here from an environmentally hazardous to a positive one, as well as trigger very significant and sustainable investment and employment in the local community.

"From a national perspective, it will significantly advance Ireland’s transition to a low carbon economy, with 360MW of electricity generated for this renewable source five hours each day."

If approved, the Silvermines facility is expected to be the largest of its kind and would create 400 construction jobs.