Close to 170 million euro in funding has been announced for the midlands as part of the EU's Just Transition Fund.
The announcement was made this afternoon by Minister for Environment, Transport and Communications, Eamon Ryan following it's approval by cabinet.
169 million euro will be directed towards the Irish midlands to help the region move away from fossil fuel industry. The sector was highly active in the Shannonside region until the last number of years, where plants like the Lanesborough Power Station ceased burning peat to generate power. Hundreds of jobs were affected when the station shut off it's boilers almost two years ago. The grants are designed to create new green jobs, stimulate business, increase sustainable tourism and alleviate the transition from peat burning. It follows another Just Transition multi-million euro fund announced by the Irish Government in 2020. The newly approved EU funding will fund a number of initiatives across Longford, Roscommon, Galway and Westmeath, including the construction of a Centre of Excellence for the research of new methods of emission reducing technology. Also included in the programme is the provision of new enterprise hubs, supporting heritage projects and a prioritization of rural public transport.
The plan will be formally adopted by the European Commission next month, with the government to confirm the next step in early 2023.
