A new ‘virtual centre of competence’ is being created at Queens University in Belfast, after the EU’s INTERREG VA Programme pumped money into further bioenergy research. Billed with supporting cross-border research into bioenergy and marine-based renewable energy sources, the hub will see the creation of 40 new roles.
The €9.3m project will focus on heat, biogas […]
The Bord Gáis Energy Index fell 7% in June and is 5% lower than the same period last year. June saw a broad drop in wholesale energy markets as oil, gas and electricity all registered falls – coal was the only exception with a 2% gain. A stronger euro over the month versus both sterling […]
A broad-based fall in oil, gas, coal and electricity in May led to the Bord Gáis Energy Index falling by 6% during the month. The main influencers were a 6% fall in oil prices as OPEC’s production cuts failed to have the desired effect, and a 6% fall in electricity costs. However, year-on-year the Index […]
Irish energy services company UrbanVolt has completed its 100th project installation. In just over one year, UrbanVolt has upgraded 100 business premises to LED lighting via its zero capex ‘Light as a Service’ business model, reducing these clients energy costs by over €20 million over the next five years.
It is now the largest commercial and […]
Ibec and the CBI, the two major business groups in the Republic and Northern Ireland, have launched a new report setting out the economic importance and urgent need for the proposed 400kV overhead North South electricity Interconnector (NSIC). The report, prepared by Grant Thornton, demonstrates how the proposed Interconnector will not only safeguard electricity supply […]
Actavo, an international engineering solutions company headquartered in Dublin, has signed a five-year contract with major energy supplier, SSE, to support the national expansion of SSE’s ‘Shield’ programme in the UK.
The contract, which has recently gone live, sees Actavo providing a range of services to SSE’s existing and future customer base across England, Scotland and […]
Researchers from across Europe, led by University of Limerick (UL), have begun a project to produce carbon fibre from forestry by-products.
Carbon fibre is a reinforcement which when added to plastic improves its mechanical properties, thereby forming a composite material. Composites are used in many products including automotive parts and wind-turbine blades. However, carbon fibre is […]
The FREED Project is inviting applications from companies, SME’s or start-ups to develop innovative energy technologies, the Western Development Commission (WDC) announced on Tuesday. The WDC are using the etenders platform and the tender documents are available at www.freedproject.eu/itt-call-ireland-2. The closing date for applications is Wednesday March 15th 2017. Aimed at businesses that are currently active […]
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is inviting businesses to come to the Energy Show 2017, taking place at the RDS, Dublin on Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th of April.
The annual two-day free event brings together 160 exhibitors of sustainable energy technologies and services. Last year, in addition to attendance growing by 23% to […]
Ireland’s annual inflation rate was recorded as 0.2% in January 2017, the lowest in the Euro Area which saw an inflation rate of 1.8% , up from 1.1% in December 2016, according to figures released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, on Wednesday. In January 2016 the rate was 0.3%. European Union annual inflation […]
The price of basic metals rose 12.1 % in January while other factory gate prices remained relatively stable, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office on Wednesday. Total monthly factory gate prices increased by 0.2% in January compared to the previous month, and fell by 0.1 % compared to Janaury 2016.
The price index […]
A Ricoh-managed print deal has enabled SOLAS to make annual savings of approximately €60K, Ricoh announced on Thursday. Ricoh won the deal following a competitive tender process and installed multi-functional devices across four floors at SOLAS’ headquarters in Dublin’s Docklands.
Ricoh was commissioned by SOLAS to install Aficio MP C3003 printers in its Dublin offices, replacing […]
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) announced on Thursday a doubling of its Energy Research, Development and Demonstration fund for next year to €2 million. The fund is open to Irish researchers in industry and academia to support sustainable energy research. Priority areas include energy efficiency, citizen engagement and energy storage with the programme […]
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) published the third annual report on the energy efficiency performance of public bodies on Monday. The report shows that government departments and public bodies avoided €154 million energy spend through increased energy efficiency in 2015. The sector is now 21% more energy efficient than their 2009 baseline and […]
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) announced on Tuesday, November 6, that it will offer €30 million in grant supports for community energy projects next year. This represents a 50% increase in funding from the 2016 grant levels – an additional €10 million.
CEO of SEAI Jim Gannon said: “For 2017 we are particularly interested […]
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment Denis Naughten said on Wednesday, November 30, that an EPA-led research programme on the on the Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on the Environment and Human Health justified the continued prohibition on hydraulic fracking.
“I am on record as having raised concerns with regard to the use of hydraulic […]
Providence Resources announced on Thursday, November 24, that a Stena IceMAX drill ship had been contracted to drill an exploration well at the Druid and Drombeg sites, about 220 kilometers off the southwest coast of Ireland. The Stena IceMAX is a modern, harsh-environment, dual-derrick drill-ship designed to operate in water depths of up to 3 […]
Gaelectric officially opened its £13.4 million (€15.5 Million) wind farm on Thursday, November 17, at Cloonty in Co. Antrim. The 9.2MW wind farm is located on the Castlecat Road between Derrykeighan and Bushmills.
Cloonty is renewable energy and energy storage group Gaelectric’s fouth operating wind farm in Northern Ireland. The Company has 184MW of operating wind […]
A new survey of companies carried out by the Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) suggests that the wind energy industry has delivered 300 new jobs a year since 2013, with growth potential pinpointing a further 1,100 new jobs in the sector by 2020.
Over 150 energy companies took part in the survey, indicating that economic projections […]
Publishing their interim results for the six months to June 2016, ESB has pointed to the weakened, post-Brexit sterling as a primary cause for its operating profit falling €50 million compared to the same period last year.
With activities North and South of the border, the electricity supplier is at risk of taking a hit with […]
At last year’s Paris climate talk, 196 countries agreed to take action to keep global warming from rising 2C above pre-industrial levels.
Tullow, an Irish oil and gas explorer stated that its project in West Africa is on schedule. The Ten project, based in Ghana, is expected to see oil within the next three weeks.
SEAI Euro 20M funding for Community Energy Projects.Picture Colm Mahady / Fennells – Copyright© Fennell Photography 2016.
Denis Naughten T.D., Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment has announced that 38 community energy projects are to receive €20m in grant funding through the Better Energy Communities scheme administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The […]
Roscommon deputy, Michael Fitzmaurice stated that the construction will not continue until the investigation is complete.
While there has been progress in utilizing sustainable energy in the EU through hydro, wind and solar energy, Ireland doesn’t qualify for subsidy in the use of solar energy.
The Irish Green Building Council has launched Ireland’s first sustainable homes label to encourage the construction of quality residential housing developments.
Oil prices fell today after a meeting between major producing nations failed to agree an output freeze, leaving the world grappling with an excess of unwanted crude.
The meeting in Qatar was attended by most members of oil producers’ group Opec, including Saudi Arabia, but not Iran.
But the deal crumbled when OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia demanded that Iran […]
A potential takeover by Sunny Hill a company owned by Petroceltic’s biggest shareholder Worldview has come to a close after the timing for acceptance on the £6.4m bid lapsed.
Last month, Petroceltic had called on its shareholders to accept the offer at a price of 3 pence per share.
But in a statement Sunny Hill said the deal had […]
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has today published a report detailing the actions needed to meet our energy efficiency and renewable energy targets by 2020, which will also help us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Key among the actions required is a trebling of the number of home and business energy upgrades […]
The Irish Wind Energy Association (IWEA) expects to spend €500 million on building new wind farms in the country over the next four years.
The lobby group for wind farm developers will publish its forecast figures at the annual IWEA conference today, and it seems the construction industry will benefit as Ireland increases its renewable energy output.
Total […]
Smart Metering Systems plc (AIM: SMS.L), the integrated metering services company that connects, owns, operates and maintains current generation and new advanced metering assets and databases, is pleased to announce that it has signed a framework agreement with Economy Energy Ltd, the UK-based energy supplier serving electricity, gas and dual fuel customers, as its preferred […]
US oil futures touched new highs for 2016 today and are set to post gains for a fifth straight week on growing optimism that major producers would strike a deal to freeze output, while a more benign interest rate environment also supports prices.
Brent US crude was up 3 cents at $40.23 barrel, after rising to […]
ESB has seen its profits rise by 33% in 2015 to €286m, from €71m a year earlier. The company said the increase came primarily from an improvement in the amount of time its power plants were available to generate energy.
The ESB currently employs over 7,000 people in Ireland, said pretax profits rose from €214 million to €307 million […]
Oil prices held most of the previous day’s strong gains today as a dive in US petrol stockpiles fuelled hopes for a pick-up in demand. But traders remain on edge over the long-running supply glut.
Both contracts soared yesterday, with US benchmark West Texas Intermediate hitting a three month high and Brent breaking $41 after a US energy […]
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland’s (SEAI) Energy Show 2016 takes place at the RDS in Dublin on Wednesday 6th and Thursday 7th April. The annual two-day business event, which last year saw over 160 companies exhibit their sustainable energy products and services, gives attendees the unique opportunity to view the latest products from leading […]
Bord na Móna says it has secured planning permission from Limerick Co Council for a €20m smokeless fuel plant in the port village of Foynes, which will create 60 jobs when operational.
Around 140 jobs will be created during the construction phase of the project.
The facility, which is to be built on Bord na Móna’s existing […]
EDF Energy, the British arm of French giant EDF, will extend the life of four of its UK nuclear power stations by up to seven years, it said today.
The announcement, revealed alongside annual results from its parent firm, comes with EDF yet to make a final investment decision over the construction of a vast new […]
Fifty jobs are to be created, after planning permission was granted for a solar energy farm in County Cork.
Amarenco Solar is to install 22,000 panels on on ground-mounted frames on a site of 10.2 hectares at Kilmoney.
Forty of the jobs will be created during the construction phase, with 10 full time staff when it’s operational.
The […]
Siemens has received two contracts for the supply of wind turbines for two projects located in Ireland.
Under the first contract, Siemens will supply and install 36 Siemens D3 direct drive turbines at the 108MW Cloosh Valley wind farm, which is also known as Galway Wind Park Phase 2.
The Cloosh project is being developed as part […]
Tyco International and Johnson Controls announced today they will merge in a tax-saving deal. The deal combines Tyco’s operations in security and fire safety with Johnson’s businesses, which include energy storage.
The merger will result in $150m in annual tax savings as Johnson, based in Wisconsin in the US, will shift its domicile for tax purposes to Ireland, […]
Mining and energy company Vedanta Resources said its Lisheen mine in Co Tipperary made its final shipment last week, completing planned closure of the site.
Vedanta Resources, which also produces copper, coal, aluminium, lead, iron ore and oil, said mining activity at the zinc and lead mine had stopped in November.
The mine’s closure, which was announced […]
The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) is calling on communities to apply for €20 million available in grant support for energy efficiency upgrades to homes, businesses and community buildings to be carried out in 2016. The Government’s Better Energy Communities programme, administered by SEAI, has already supported 260 community energy retrofit projects over the […]
Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Alex White T.D. visited Saint John of God Hospital in Stillorgan following the completion of a €1 million energy upgrade. The upgrade works included the installation of high efficiency lighting, heating and glazing. The project, which received €25,000 support from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), was […]
Armagh-based food producer, Linwoods has invested in 200 rooftop solar panels as part of a significant £2 million development of its Armagh site.
Linwoods has appointed Kingspan Energy to install a new 50kW solar PV system which will create savings of £355,000 for the company over the next 25 years.
Major Investment Programme Gets Underway at Armagh […]
Spanish thermal solar power and electrical engineering firm Abengoa has signed an agreement with its creditor banks for a €106m credit line to help avert what would be Spain’s biggest-ever bankruptcy.
The company will be used for general corporate necessities, Abengoa said in a statement to the stock market regulator.
It is using some shares held in […]
Planning permission has been granted for a new solar farm in Co Waterford. The site in Kilcannon is one of 35 such farms planned by the renewable energy company Amerenco Solar.
In a statement, the company said it will start building the Waterford facility once the Government establishes renewable tariffs for 2016, following this week’s publication of […]
UK-based infrastructure and energy company Elgar Middleton could spend €66 million developing six solar plants around Limerick.
Sites have already been identified and partner Edward Elgar said planning applications and applications for grid connections will be made next year. The six sites could generate up to 60MW of electricity between them. That’s enough to power to […]
Energy utility SSE will be the first large corporate business in Ireland to become a Living Wage employer – guaranteeing all its employees a Living Wage of at least €11.50 an hour from 1 January 2016.
Almost 750 staff across SSE’s businesses in Ireland will receive at least the Living Wage rate. This rate, set at […]
Minister for Energy Alex White, TD, announced today €20 million in grant offers for local communities under the 2016 Better Energy Communities scheme.
The scheme, which is administered by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), has supported 260 community energy efficiency projects over the last four years. As a result over 12,000 homes and community […]
A new report from KPMG has found that deploying solar PV technology to power Irish homes and businesses could support up to 7,300 new jobs per year between 2017 and 2030. ‘A Brighter Future – The Potential Benefits of Solar Photovoltaics* (PV) in Ireland’ is published on 24th November 2015, by KPMG in association with […]
This Thursday marks the last official engagement of Dr. Brian Motherway as CEO of SEAI before he departs to take up the position with the International Energy Agency (IEA) as Head of its International Energy Efficiency Division in Paris.
Dr. Motherway will launch the ‘Energy in Ireland’ report which presents an overview of energy trends in […]
Minister for Skills, Research and Innovation, Mr Damien English TD, today announced funding of over €11 million to the Energy Systems Integration Partnership Programme (ESIPP).
ESIPP will receive €5.5 million from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Science Foundation Ireland, coupled with €5.5 million from five industry partners – AIB, EirGrid, Ervia, Glen Dimplex, […]
The carbon content of electricity generation in Ireland fell to a record low last year, half the level it was in 1990, according to figures published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
Renewable electricity helped Ireland avoid 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2014, and is now one of the single biggest contributors […]
Pictured are Brian Motherway, CEO, SEAI and Lisa Jackson, vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, Apple
Apple has committed a €1 million fund to promote the development of ocean energy in Ireland.
The fund will help developers who receive a Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) grant to test their ocean energy prototypes in the Galway Bay Ocean Energy […]
Shareholders in Tullow Oil received a considerable boost today as Maersk Oil ventured into the world of East African oil through a partial acquisition of drilling licenses in the region.
Tullow’s shares climbed yesterday after its partner, Africa Oil, sold 50 per cent of its holdings to a setof oil fields in Kenya and Ethiopia to Maersk for […]
As part of a €28m investment, Viridian Group, is to create 35 IT jobs over the next three years in its Belfast office.
Viridian, the parent company of Energia, says that it is looking to hire IT professionals for a variety of roles including project managers, technical analysts and business analysts.
The company operates in Northern Ireland […]
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