NEW jobs are on the way for county Limerick with BORD na Móna starting site preparation works for its new €20m smokeless coal facility at Foynes.
The project will create 80 jobs in construction and another 25 jobs when it becomes operational.
The Foynes facility is being developed to supply smokeless coal to the Irish market. The Foynes plant is permitted to produce up to 150,000 tonnes of smokeless coal, will also generate indirect employment arising from stevedoring, material handling and local haulage.
Following construction of the plant, Bord na Móna will be ready to supply the market as it transitions to smokeless coal. A total ban on bituminous coal is planned by Government over the next two to three years.
“The Government has clear objectives around clean air, and new smokeless fuels will be a key part of meeting those aims,” head of Bord na Móna Fuels, Eddie Scaife explained.
“Once operational we will be producing a high quality product here in Foynes that will be cleaner and that crucially will perform as well as traditional coal products. This development is good for the environment, good for jobs and good for consumers,” he said.
“The construction of this plant will see Bord na Móna maintain it’s leadership through and beyond the transition to smokeless fuel. “We are starting this new phase of the conversation with our customers. We’ve been supplying Irish consumers with what they need to heat their homes for generations and we are looking forward to supplying them with cleaner, smokeless coal that they can rely on when the new regulations come into effect.
Bord na Móna Fuels submitted its planning application for the development to Limerick City and County Council in 2015 and received final approval in July 2016.
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