180m mayo investment to create 130 jobs

 

TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has announced a new 42 megawatt biomass combined heat and power generating station is to be built in Mayo with the creation of 350 jobs over the next two years. 

The location of the project is the old Ashai site in Killala and will involve an investment of €180 million.

The company involved, Mayo Renewable Power, is backed by an American investment company based in New Jersey, Weichert Enterprise.

Stated Deputy Kenny: 'I thank Gerald Crotty, the chairman of Mayo Renewable Power, for selecting Mayo as the location for the power station and for his determination in seeing this important project through.

'Building work will start on the site this month and will give employment of up to 350 people during the two-year construction phase.  

'When in operation up to 30 people will be employed full-time at the plant and in excess of 100 will be employed indirectly in growing, harvesting, transport and other ancillary services associated with the plant.

'This investment is a vote of confidence in the Irish economy and is part of the recovery that is beginning to spread to every region of Ireland.
It will be the largest biomass power station to have been built in this country to date and will contribute to reducing our greenhouse emissions.  

'The overarching objective of the Government’s energy policy is to ensure secure and sustainable supplies of competitively priced energy to all consumers. Bioenergy has a critical role to play in meeting our target to ensure 16% of our energy requirements come from renewable sources by 2020.

'In order to meet this target, Ireland is committed to meeting 40% of electricity demand, 12% of its heat, and 10% of its transport, from renewable sources. The new Mayo plant will help us meet our targets.

'The power station will burn biomass such as Willow, Spruce, Miscanthus and Mesquite, and the ‘waste heat’ from the station will be used in an adjoining fuel processing plant to refine the biomass for commercial use.  

'This will offer a great opportunity to farmers in the region to grow biomass crops which require little maintenance and where they will have a ready market for sales.

'This investment is another positive announcement for Mayo and will, no doubt, assist in attracting further investment to the country.'