Tipperary in line for funding of €169m under EU's Just Transition green programme

The announcement from Minister for the Environment, Eamon Ryan, that Cabinet approval has been secured for significant EU funding to support the Midlands region, including north Tipperary, as Ireland moves away from fossil fuels, has ben welcomed by Tipperary TD Michael Lowry.

This funding, totaling approximately €169m, will come from the EU's Just Transition Fund. It will be used to address the employment, economic, social and environmental consequences associated with the move away from peat production and peat-based energy generation.

The areas most affected by the move away from turf and peat production are around Lower Ormond, where many people would have worked for Bórd na Móna over the decades either harvesting turf or in the nearby power plants at Ferbane and Shannonbridge.

Over the next decade, the investment will be directed towards the Midlands region and north Tipperary with the aim of creating new green jobs, promoting enterprise, increasing sustainable tourism, restoring damaged peatlands and mitigating the economic repercussions of the transition to climate neutrality.

"This is a very positive move," according to Deputy Lowry. "I have been advocating for the inclusion of north Tipperary in the Just Transition Fund since 2019 with successive Ministers for the Environment, Climate, and Communications."

The European Commission is expected to formally endorse the EU Just Transition Fund plan and programme next month. Further information on the programme will be available in early 2023.