Clare County Council is being encouraged to quickly engage with officials from Enterprise Ireland and the IDA with a view to supporting Moneypoint workers.
It comes as the Minister responsible for Climate Action has said he would be open to local stakeholders here making a case for West Clare to receive financial support, to offset the fallout caused by the winding down of operations at the coal-burning plant.
The Just Transition Fund announced in last week’s Budget offers state support to communities in the Midlands that are feeling the effects of Ireland’s climate commitments.
But despite Moneypoint Power Station winding down its operations, no mention was given to the workers there.
Moneypoint is to cease coal-burning operations by 2025 and in the interim, a wind down has seen 100 jobs on the line.
Several contractors who had worked at the plant have also been badly hit.
This led Clare’s Fianna Fáil TD Timmy Dooley to challenge the Climate Action Minister on why funding was allocated to the Midlands, which is undergoing similar changes, but not Clare.
In response, Minister Richard Bruton has said that he is open to considering proposals from a transition team set up to assist West Clare and Moneypoint.
A similar team in the midlands was made up of local authorities, and the local branches of the IDA and Enterprise Ireland, suggesting that Clare County Council would take a leading rose here.
The Minister has left the ball in the local authority’s court.
In a short statement today, Clare County Council has told Clare FM that its senior officials are engaging with Moneypoint management on an ongoing basis.
Kilrush Independent Councillor Ian Lynch says it’s vital now that the local authority reaches out to both Enterprise Ireland and the IDA, with a view to getting the ball rolling quickly.
