Editing River Shannon (section)

==Economics==
[[File:Shannonbridge.jpg|thumb|left|[[Shannonbridge]], County Offaly]]
Despite being {{convert|360.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} long, it rises only {{convert|76|m|abbr=on}} [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]], so the river is easily navigable, with only a few locks along its length. There is a [[Ardnacrusha power plant|hydroelectric generation plant]] at [[Ardnacrusha (village)|Ardnacrusha]] belonging to the [[Electricity Supply Board|ESB]].

Shipping in the Shannon estuary was developed extensively during the 1980s, with over [[Irish pound|IR£]]2&nbsp;billion (€2.5&nbsp;billion) investment. A tanker terminal at [[Foynes]] and an oil jetty at [[Shannon Airport]] were built. In 1982 a large-scale [[alumina]] extraction plant was built at [[Aughinish, County Limerick|Aughinish]]. 60,000-tonne cargo vessels now carry raw [[bauxite]] from West African mines to the plant, where it is refined to alumina. This is then exported to Canada where it is further refined to aluminium. 1985 saw the opening of a 915 MW coal-fired electricity plant at [[Moneypoint]], fed by regular visits by 150,000-tonne bulk carriers.