Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan, TD; and Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD; along with Sorcha and Rossa McAllister. Image: PhotoShelter
Applications by sports clubs to avail of the EV charge points will be assessed by community development agency Pobal.
From today, (30 January), the Government is taking applications from sports clubs across the island of Ireland to install electric vehicle (EV) charging points on their premises.
The Government’s Shared Island Sports Club EV Charging Scheme was launched by the Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan TD, along with Minister for Sport Catherine Martin TD.
Details of the scheme were first announced last July, when the Government said that up to 90 EV charging points would be set up in locations throughout the country to facilitate EV drivers in the North and the Republic.
The Government has allocated €15m to the scheme, which aims to provide easily accessible and fast charging points for EVs all over Ireland.
With applications now open for the EV charging scheme, sports clubs can apply to have one installed. Applications will be gathered and assessed by community development agency Pobal, which will provide guidance on the scheme and support applicants.
“So many of us are frequent visitors to our local sports clubs, whether that’s dropping off our children for training or games, helping out or playing sports ourselves, said Ryan. “It makes perfect sense then, that we are starting our destination EV charging plans by providing these grants for sports clubs.”
Other destinations to benefit from the community EV charging scheme have yet to be announced.
“Ireland is in a strong position to move to transport electrification. Most of our journeys are short and most of our charging is done at home, but it is important to make sure that we also have a strong public charging network in place for those without access to home charging, or for anyone who needs to top-up their charge when out and about,” Ryan added.
The €15m funding is part of the wider Shared Island initiative, which was established in Budget 2021 to enable the Governments of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to meet strategic mutual priorities in areas such as education, infrastructure, health and climate action.
In December 2022, the Government announced a major €50m funding boost for the Shared Island Fund.
For information on how to apply to the scheme, see Pobal’s website.
10 things you need to know direct to your inbox every weekday. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of essential sci-tech news.
