An underwater robot is being tested at the Silvermines hydro electric power station in North Tipperary.
It’s thought the VAMOS, or Viable Alternative Mine Operating System, could revolutionise the mining industry globally.
The 26.5 tonne robot is carrying out underwater testing at the hydro-electric plant on the disused mine site in North Tipperary.
It’s also conducting a real-time analysis of water quality and mineral levels, as well as a study of underwater topography.
The results of the test will feed into the first phase of the Environmental Impact Study for the €650m hydro project in Silvermines.
When completed, the station in North Tipp will generate electricity during high demand periods by releasing water from an elevated reservoir to a lower reservoir.
It will then be pumped back up to the higher reservoir, which is yet to be constructed, during low electricity demand periods.
The lower reservoir already exists by way of a 70m deep flooded open-cast mine at the foot of the Silvermines Mountains.
When up and running, the plant will have the capacity to generate enough electricity for 200,000 households.
This €12.4m study is the second of two key trials of the VAMOS technology which has the capacity to unlock €100 billion worth of brown field underwater mining sites across Europe alone by reopening abandoned mining operations.
