ESB to invest €190m in Limerick
A massive €190m is to be invested in Limerick’s ESB network which will create new jobs, allow new homes to be built and make the electricity supply more storm-resistant.
The cash injection is being spent to put in sufficient power supplies for industry to locate anywhere in the county without having to worry about being short of power.
The move will attract more industry to the region, therefore creating more jobs.
But money will also be spent in accommodating up to 20 five-man teams in areas around the county over the next three years who will be carrying out the work.
The workers will be staying in various locations for periods of between six and 12 months, generating revenue in shops, pubs, restaurants and accommodation businesses.
In many locations, the contractors will also be employing local people to help with the work.
A spokesman for the ESB said that the improvements would also mean that there would be extra supplies available for building new houses “and the improved network will be better able to stand up to storms and hopefully that will mean fewer outages.”
The investment in Limerick county is part of a multi-million euro national plan to vastly improve the system of power supply and generation by replacing cables and upgrading substations.
“When this is done, Limerick will have a hugely-improved quality of supply, one that is second to none,” the spokesman said.
The investment does not include the €200m the ESB is planning to invest in the Moneypoint power station.
That investment will reduce emissions and bring it into line with EU standards, as well as prolong the life of the station beyond 2008.
