• Submission made to Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce on proposal
• Potential already there with existing infrastructure

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Aviation Cathal Crowe is calling for strong consideration to be given to his proposal to establish a hydrogen fuel farm within the Shannon Airport complex.

This would see the airport establish itself as a world leader in terms of sustainable aviation, at a time of significant change in the sector.

“Today, I have written to the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce, outlining my proposal to plan for a hydrogen fuel farm at Shannon Airport,” said Deputy Crowe.

“The Green Atlantic Windfarm planned off of the coast of Clare provides for a €50 million Synchronous Compensator, which will convert electricity generated via the wind turbine infrastructure to storable hydrogen fuel. All of this will happen on site at Moneypoint, just 65km west of Shannon Airport.

“Meanwhile, a fuel farm was developed at Shannon Airport in the 1973s and has the capacity to store 33,000 metric tonnes of aviation fuel.

“It would make perfect sense for the hydrogen generated at Moneypoint to be brought up the estuary to the large storage vats at Shannon Airport for usage by an array of aircraft companies and airliners.

“Right now, the large aircraft manufacturers of the world, including Boeing and Airbus, are at advanced stages of trialling hydrogen powered jet engines, which have the potential to be cheaper and more environmentally friendly.

“Whilst we’re still a number of years away from a widescale conversion of aircraft to this new fuel, most with knowledge of the sector believe it to be inevitable and the next decade will be defining in this regard.

“Shannon Airport, therefore, has a unique opportunity to position itself as a world centre of excellence insofar as sustainable aviation is concerned.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Shannon and I hope that the taskforce’s strategy will position Shannon ahead of other airports and regions of Europe, in terms of being able to harness the potential of hydrogen.

“When global aviation makes the initial conversion to hydrogen fuels, it is expected that long-distance capacity of the aircraft will, at first, be in some way reduced meaning longhaul flights such as transatlantic routes will need to touch down to refuel.

“As Europe’s most westerly airport, it makes so much sense that Shannon would be the stop-off point for aircraft going both eastbound and westbound.

“In the past, great people in the Midwest like the late Brendan O’Regan had visions for Shannon far beyond putting planes in the sky.

“As we emerge from the Covid pandemic and strive to put Shannon back on an upward trajectory of growth, it’s important that this kind of vision once again comes to the fore.

“I hope that my submission can be given consideration by the Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce and I stand ready to help out in any way I can.”

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• Clare and Limerick added to expanded scheme
• More work needed to bring matter to conclusion

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe is welcoming the inclusion of Clare and Limerick in an expanded Defective Concrete Block Scheme by Cabinet today – but is warning that this is not the end of the road.

The government is today adding both counties to the initiative, at an estimated cost of €500 million.

At present, just counties Donegal and Mayo are covered which has been the source of extreme concern in Clare.

“I’m delighted that Clare and Limerick will today join other counties in being deemed eligible for redress for pyrite defective blocks,” said Deputy Crowe.

“Today’s decision by Cabinet to include our county is significant but by no means is it the end of the road.

“The campaign for redress for homeowners in Clare was instigated by Dr Martina Cleary, who founded the Clare Pyrite Action Group, and she and others who serve on that committee deserve huge credit for putting this issue high up on the political agenda – both in Clare and indeed nationally.

“The Cabinet sign-off indicates a follow through on a government commitment to provide redress for Clare homeowners but there are further stages ahead, including the preparation of legislation to give effect to redress.

“I know that many homeowners want to see the terms of redress improved and I think it’s important that every effort is made to consult with them to ensure that when the redress applications are live, that the best terms possible are offered.

“The homeowners who are impacted unwittingly built or bought homes that had a prevalence of pyrite within the blockwork and over the years, this has deteriorated in some instances to homes being near collapse.

“The impact of pyrite is very obvious on the structure of these homes, but it has also caused untold mental strain and hardship for the families concerned, as I’ve seen first-hand.

“In Clare it’s expected that over 600 houses may require redress and some of these will need minimal works, such as replacement of the outer leaf of blockwork, while others will need full demolition and rebuilding.

“Today’s announcement certainly builds momentum around redress but it’s now important that the terms and conditions of the redress application scheme and the particulars around how an individual can draw down funding is clarified and that we provide the best possible redress for homeowners.

“It’s also vital that the government continue to pursue the concrete block manufacturers that sold these defective blocks.

“A parallel legal process must get underway to ensure that these companies pay a significant penalty for the damage that their defective blocks have caused.”

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• Vueling to travel route twice weekly from September
• Brings to 27 the total routes at Shannon

Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Tourism and Aviation Cathal Crowe has welcomed today’s announcement from Shannon Group that a new route will be established between Shannon Airport and Paris.

Vueling, a low-cost Spanish airline, will commence flying between Shannon and Paris-Orly on Mondays and Fridays from September.

“This is a very positive endorsement of Shannon Airport and what we have to offer here in the Midwest region of Ireland,” said Deputy Crowe.

“There is massive scope in Shannon to expand the routes on offer and this latest announcement brings to 27 the total number of routes to and from the airport.

“These services cover a range of destinations in Europe, the UK and North America.

“Paris-Orly is just 13km from the centre of Paris city and will open up huge potential both in terms of tourism and business for Shannon Airport customers.

“Securing a link to Paris has long been a goal of mine and for Shannon Group, as it opens Shannon up to a major European city and hub.

“Paris-Orly is 34km from Charles de Gaulle Airport, meaning it can operate as a transitional hub to onward travel where necessary.

“I very much welcome today’s news and also want to take this opportunity to welcome Vueling to Shannon and I look forward to more positive announcements to come.”

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• €10m per annum to be issued to Post Office network
• Will help support 900 post offices nationwide

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed the announcement of €30 million for the Irish Post Office network but believes more needs to be clarified to support postmasters and mistresses nationwide.

The funding has been announced this afternoon by Ministers Eamon Ryan and Hildegarde Naughton, with a view to ensuring a more sustainable national postal service.

“Today’s funding announcement will come as a major, major relief to the postmasters and mistresses of Clare who have been pleading for more to be done to ensure their survival,” said Deputy Crowe.

“I’ve met with almost all of them and they’re all singing from the same hymn sheet. We’ve seen the closure of a number of branches around the county in recent years and there has been significant concern that this trend would continue.

“The €30m announced today, which will be issued in €10m allocations over a period of three years, will help offset some of those concerns.

“However, it must be noted that it still falls short of the €12m sought by the post office network.

“I would also like to see further clarity in terms of what additional services and transactions will be issued to the post office network, as this is a sure-fire way of securing a viable future for the network.

“This afternoon, the Oireachtas Communications Committee will meet with Minister Naughton and I intend to pose these questions to her.

“Having spoken with postmasters and mistresses around the county, I know that they are grateful for the €30m that has been allocated to them but their concerns are not all gone and this is a campaign that has not yet come to an end.”

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