Longford to benefit from significant EU funding

Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan TD has secured Cabinet approval for significant EU funding to support the Midlands region as Ireland moves away from fossil fuels.

This funding, amounting to nearly €169 million, will come from the EU’s Just Transition Fund.

It will be targeted at the region over the coming decade to generate new green jobs, stimulate enterprise, increase sustainable tourism, restore damaged peatlands and alleviate the economic impacts of the transition to climate neutrality.

East Galway, Kildare, Laois, Longford, north Tipperary, Offaly, Roscommon and Westmeath will all benefit from the fund, which aims to address the employment, economic, social and environmental impacts that come with the move away from peat production and electricity generation from peat.

The plan includes funding for a Centre of Excellence, which will pioneer new research in reducing emissions from organic soils by working with farmers to test new ways of sustainable land management on peat soils. It also includes plans to transform public transport in the region.

Ireland has prepared a Territorial Just Transition (JTF) Plan and accompanying programme setting out the activities the fund will support.

The wider Midlands region has been identified as the being the area most negatively-affected in Ireland by the closure of peat-reliant power stations.

The EU JTF Programme will focus on:

• generating employment for former peat communities by investing in the diversification of the local economy. The fund will support productive investments in enterprise, SMEs and community actions;
• supporting the restoration and rehabilitation of degraded peatlands and the regeneration and repurposing of industrial heritage assets;
• providing former peat communities with smart and sustainable mobility options to enable them to benefit directly from the green transition.

   

Minister Ryan said: “The Government is committed to a just transition in the Midlands region, to ensure that no one is left behind as we move away from fossils fuels to a new, carbon-neutral and sustainable future. We are allocating significant, dedicated funding to support workers, companies and communities affected by the closure of the peat-fired power stations and the end of peat harvesting.

“The fund will support a diverse range of innovative projects that will contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the wider Midlands region. They include new enterprise hubs, supporting local business and community development, research and exploratory studies, tourism and heritage projects, development of greenways, and opportunities for education, training and reskilling.

“It will also fund a transformative public transport system, prioritising support towards the electrification of Rural Link services, electrification of commercial bus services and EV destination charging infrastructure, to make the Midlands one of the most attractive places in the country to live and visit.”

The EU JTF Plan and Programme are due to be formally adopted by the European Commission next month.

Further details on the Programme will be available in early 2023.