Ireland submits 70 projects for €315 billion EU investment plan

Ireland has submitted more than 70 projects for possible inclusion in the EU's €315 billion investment plan, with energy, social housing and infrastructural projects forming the bulk of the list.

Among the projects identified by the Government are a proposed new runway at Dublin Airport, the Dart Underground, the Shannon Airport development plan, Grid West, and a number of wind farms being developed by Bord na Móna, Coillte and the ESB.

Irish Water, an interconnector with France and an afforestation plan have also been selected for possible inclusion in the scheme.

Speaking following Tuesday's meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, Minister of State Simon Harris said while the list was preliminary, Ireland was "very well-placed" to benefit from inclusion in the plan which aims to kick-start the moribund European economy.

First round

More than 2,000 projects have been submitted to the European Commission from across the European Union as part of a first-round of calls for eligible projects.

However, officials stressed yesterday that the list was not exhaustive, and further projects could be added.

The projects range from an electricity interconnector between Denmark and the UK, to a swathe of road and rail packages across eastern Europe, some of which have already been earmarked for expenditure by national governments.

EU leaders will discuss the package at next week’s summit in Brussels, with the fund expected to be in place by June.

The commission has said it plans to meet with investors over the coming months in a bid to drum up investor interest in the scheme which aims to leverage €21 billion of core investment.