Bord na Móna is creating up to 150 construction jobs during the build of its new wind farm in Mount Lucas, Co Offaly, Ireland’s Energy Minister Pat Rabbitte, TD, has announced.
Rabbitte was speaking his morning at the turning of the sod on the new project. Bord na Móna is investing €140m in the Mount Lucas wind farm, which will involve the construction of 30 wind turbines. When it’s up and running the wind farm will have the capacity to provide electricity for up to 50,000 homes.
Rabbitte commended Bord na Móna for its diversification strategy into the renewables sector, while he also spoke about the scope for such wind-energy projects in the Midlands.
“Today is a major step forward for the company as Mount Lucas represents a very substantial investment by Bord na Móna in the renewable sector,” he said.
“Here in Ireland we have an abundance of renewable energy, with particular potential in the onshore wind sector, and it is vital that we continue to exploit this potential,” added Rabbitte.
He went on to highlight the importance of the Mount Lucas project in demonstrating the potential the Midlands holds for the future generation of power that can be exported to the UK energy market.
Wind turbine image via Shutterstock
