A Carlow Councillor’s moved to allay concerns regarding what some perceive as a lack of public engagement on the proposed Rathrush Green Energy Park.
We outlined the plans by Net Zero Energy yesterday for the Hydrogen storage and generation facility close to Rathoe. (More from NZE’s CEO and the Carlow County Council Chief Executive here).
A number of residents in the County Carlow area have received leaflets in recent days about the proposed project but some say they want to know more.
Fine Gael Councillor Ben Ward believes it will have an impact on the local economy, noting; “It’s a massive project, it’s going to cost over two billion euro and create 70 permanent jobs and nearly 1,500 jobs in the construction and building; it’s a big plan, a big plant, it’s in the very early stages at the moment so they’re really only beginning the public consultation now”.
He adds; “The project is deemed a critical infrastructure project, it’s going to bypass the council which we were told so it’s going to go straight to An Coimisiún Pleanála so at that stage when it does go into them people will be able to have their submissions but I suppose my hope is that before it gets to that process people will be able to have their say, I know employees from the company have already been going out around to houses around the area and engaging with people there”.
