A cautious welcome has been given to the announcement of European funding that could help retrain workers at Moneypoint Power Station.
Ireland has been allocated 30 million euro by the European Commission to help move away from carbon based energy production.
The funding will have to be supplemented by the Irish Government, as Clare FM’s Fiona Cahill reports.
A 7.5 billion euro Europe-wide fund is to be established as part of a “Just Transition Mechanism”, which would help Member states to move away from carbon-based energy production, such as coal and peat.
Of that, 30 million euro has been allocated to Ireland, to aid in the retraining of workers at power plants like Moneypoint.
Inagh Councillor Roisín Garvey, who’s representing the Green Party in the upcoming General Elections, is a member of the Council’s Task Force for Moneypoint.
She says this fund, which is a key element of the European Commission’s Green Deal initiative, will be invaluable for West Clare workers, if it comes to fruition.
The fund will have be be supplemented with additional funds by the Irish Government, which could see it grow by tens of millions more.
Clare Fianna Fáil election candidate, Doonbeg businesswoman Rita McInerney believes there’s a real concern that this fund won’t ever see the light of day.
