At least 180 new jobs will be created with the construction of a new bio-processing research and manufacturing centre at Claremorris, Co Mayo.
Construction of the BioSpark facility is expected to take up to two years and comes as a result of a €40 million joint venture between Imperative Energy Ltd and Sustainable BioPolymers Ltd.
The 22-acre site aims to convert 20,000 tonnes per annum of organic materials like straw and wood into products such as ethanol, lactic acid, lignin, methane and hydrogen.
It will house the largest wood pellet production facility in Ireland, capable of producing 60,000 tonnes per annum, as well laboratory facilities for bio-processing research and innovation.
The facility is designed not just to be completely self-sufficient in terms of energy usage but will also provide enough green energy to support heating and cooling systems for the Claremorris area.
In total 120 jobs are expected during the building phase, while 80 full-time engineering and research and development positions will be filled post-construction.
Making the announcement this evening Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan said the impact of the new jobs on the area could not be “over-emphasised”.
Ms Coughlan said that while the construction jobs would boost the local economy “the sustainable jobs of the ultimate workforce that will be a real driver to the local economy.”
Biospark is projected to bring an €18m yearly spend on locally sourced goods and services and a further 220 jobs could be created by the centre within three years through work in harvesting, transportation and new business venture spin offs.
Director of the Energy Research Centre at NUI Galway Professor Vincent O’Flaherty described the “world-class” project as an “ideal platform for Ireland to develop high-tech solutions for the global sustainable energy market”.
“Ireland’s geographical location, our natural resources and our existing research base put us in a very strong position to take full advantage of the emerging green knowledge economy,” he added.
The development at Claremorris is the first of a number of similar facilities the investors are planning to replicate across Ireland, the UK and North America.
