Funding to benefit Tipp towns

Both Thurles and Carrick-on-Suir will benefit following the securing by Ireland of final agreement on its overall Programme of Investments under the EU Just Transition Fund.

The phased allocation of funding of up to €169 million can now get underway and will benefit Midland’s peatlands communities for the period out to 2027, Deputy Michael Lowry has been informed.

A total of €29 million of funding will be available in 2023 under the National and EU Just Transition Funds (EUJTF).

The EU Just Transition Fund (EUJTF) is targeted at the Midlands area. The designated territory for this fund includes the counties of Laois, Longford, Offaly, Roscommon, Westmeath, and the municipal districts of Ballinasloe (Co Galway), Athy and Clane-Maynooth (Co Kildare), and Carrick-on-Suir and Thurles (Co Tipperary).

The aim of the fund is to address the long-term economic transition of the region following the end of commercial peat extraction and peat-fired power generation.

It will provide significant funding to support workers, companies and communities affected by the closure of the peat-fired power stations and the end of peat harvesting by Bord na Móna.

Ireland’s Climate Action Plan provides a framework for a Just Transition away from dependence on fossil fuels. This Just Transition approach will allow Ireland to green its economy in a way that is as fair and as inclusive as possible, leaving no one behind.

Ireland’s Territorial Just Transition Plan sets out the impacts on the territory most negatively affected by the move away from fossil fuels and identifies the development needs and priorities for the territory – to address these negative impacts.

A public consultation on the draft Territorial Just Transition Plan took place earlier this year, to provide all stakeholders with an opportunity to contribute to the plan.

A formal launch of the programme is being planned for early 2023.