Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Theory is one thing, practice is another. To put things in perspective, there are 1,443 jobs in the midlands associated with Bord na Móna and the three peat-fired power stations in Lanesboro, Shannonbridge and Edenderry. The Edenderry plant is the first to come before the planning process. There are many families who are reliant on employment in the three plants involved. The maintenance of solar panels would involve only a handful of those people. What then are we to do with the remainder of the people? Do we throw them on the scrap heap? Are we to declare the midlands a no-go area in terms of employment? We are currently working on a bio-energy plan that will result in the conversion of the three plants to renewable sources of fuel, which will be biomass fuel.

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