Waterford energy firm to create 100 jobs

Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Eli Lilly where he officially opened Ireland's biggest solar energy farm at Dunderrow, Co Cork. Also included are Owen Power, Enerpower and Eli Lilly chairman and CEO Dave Ricks. Picture: Dan Linehan

Waterford-based renewable energy company Enerpower says it plans to create 100 jobs as part of its three-year expansion plan to meet the increasing demand from companies for renewable energy.

Enerpower provides a range of energy services such as biomass, heat pumps, solar and wind generation products to clients including Flahavans, Bulmers, Tescos, and 14 Lidl supermarkets. The company was founded in 2008 by brothers Owen and Cormac Power.

Last year, it partnered with pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly on a €5m project to provide one of the largest solar plants in the country for their facility in Kinsale, Co Cork.

“As more and more organisations start taking climate change and energy security more seriously we are seeing both our market and our business grow,” Enerpower’s managing director Owen Power said.

“So, that is why we are looking to expand our workforce. The demand is there,” he said.

There is more of a push than ever to get companies to consider using sustainable energy on the back of The Climate Action Plan’s ambitious goal to have 80% of Ireland’s electricity generated from renewables by 2030. However, Ireland is falling behind on its EU counterparts and was 20th out of the 27 countries in the EU in reaching their energy targets by 2020.