EU Commission to visit Feakle

The European Union’s Committee of the Regions (CoR) will tour Clare Wood Chip fuel production in Feakle as part of its first ever visit to Ireland later this month.

Organised by the Mid-West Regional Authority (MWRA) and LIT Tipperary, the fact-finding mission by members of the Commission for Environment, Climate Change and Energy will feature a number of site visits throughout counties Clare and Tipperary on Tuesday, April 24.
The travelling delegation will visit the offices of North Tipperary County Council before attending a briefing on the LIT Tipperary managed and EU-funded Sustainable Energy for the Rural Village Environment (SERVE) project, which aims to develop a sustainable region in North Tipperary. Commission members also will visit Ireland’s first Eco Village in Cloughjordan.
The delegation of politicians from around the EU will later visit Feakle for a tour of the Clare Wood Chip fuel producing facility, part of the County Clare Wood Energy Project (CCWEP). The group will conclude their Irish visit by meeting with officials from Clare County Council to view the Local Authority’s biomass boiler at Áras Contae an Chláir in Ennis.
Liam Conneally, director of the Mid-West Regional Authority said the Commission’s decision to visit the Mid-West is testament to the Region’s reputation for excellence and expertise in the area of energy efficiency.
The Mid-West has a lengthy track record in delivering large-scale sustainable energy projects such as the Ardnacrusha Hydroelectric Power Station, the Cloughjordan Eco Village and the coal-fired power station at Moneypoint. The MWRA also launched Ireland’s first Regional Climate Change Strategy in 2008.
According to Mr Conneally: “We work closely with regional development agencies throughout the Mid-West to help make the region become energy independent. Renewables development is particularly important for Ireland, which is nearly 90%t dependent on fossil fuels for its energy requirements. This region has made considerable progress in this area in recent years as evidenced by the SERVE project, the increase in wind farm developments, moves toward tidal power, and the harnessing of biomass for the generation of electricity.”