Driving investment and innovation
Once defined by its peat-fired power stations, Offaly has reimagined its energy future and has now emerged as Ireland’s leading hub for renewable energy generation.
“Today, Offaly is not just participating in the energy transition, it is shaping it and gathering pace,” says Eoghan Ryan, chief executive of Offaly County Council.
With current renewable energy operations providing 1GW, another 1.5GW granted planning and another 0.5GW in the pipeline, the county has positioned itself as a national leader and a compelling destination for investment, innovation, and forward-thinking enterprise.
Powering Ireland’s future
Offaly’s rise as a renewable energy powerhouse is both remarkable and strategic, in that it was plan-led. Its County Development Plan 2019-2015 identified two strategic areas of the county, east and west, in its Wind Energy Strategy at a time when the national focus was on the western seaboard.
Despite representing just 2.3 per cent of Ireland’s landmass, the county is delivering a disproportionately large share of the State’s renewable capacity, being consistently and firmly in the top three renewable energy producers by county.
Its wind energy pipeline alone accounts for approximately 11 per cent of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) 9,000MW onshore wind target, while its solar pipeline represents 14 per cent of the national CAP’s 8,000MW ambition.
The county has become a testbed for energy innovation with synchronous compensators, plans for hydrogen production at Mount Lucas and an energy dome in Rhode which manipulates CO2 between its gaseous and liquid phase to store and then generate electricity.
A strategic advantage
Energy leadership alone is not enough for Offaly; it must be supported by robust infrastructure. Here, Offaly holds a unique advantage as it is centrally located and situated between the M6 and M7 motorways, has strong rail links, and unrivalled key national energy grid infrastructure.
In addition, the Shannon Regional Water Supply Scheme will provide an enhanced potable water supply to the county. This combination makes Offaly a natural hub for large scale energy-intensive industries seeking reliable, secure, sustainable power, and water.
Green energy parks
In another example of a plan-led approach, the council adopted the concept of a green energy park into its County Development Plan 2021-2027. At the heart of the county’s strategy is a clear focus on converting its energy advantage into real, lasting socio-economic benefits, transforming ‘green energy’ into jobs and employment opportunities.
Offaly is uniquely positioned to attract a range of energy-intensive industries including data centres and ICT infrastructure seeking low-carbon power solutions. By co-locating close to the source of generation, businesses can not only reduce operational costs but also strengthen their sustainability credentials.
Projects such as the Rhode Green Energy Park demonstrate how former industrial sites can be successfully reimagined as hubs of innovation, aligning energy generation – wind, solar, and battery storage – with enterprise and large energy users.
The area has now become a centrepiece of BnM’s investment offering and a large multinational has signalled its intentions to advance the first enterprise of scale at BnM’s proposed energy park at Derrygreenagh.
Tullamore decarbonising zone
At the centre of Offaly’s climate ambition is the Tullamore decarbonising zone (DZ). Working with GSI and others, Offaly County Council has completed a pre-feasibility study with a 1km geothermal borehole and has signed a contract with COWI for a full feasibility study for district heating. The Tullamore DZ is part of a national push to test where geothermal might work commercially, not just technically.
Several funding applications have been submitted to support the implementation of the DZ, including, for example, a mobility hub at the railway station, urban centre regeneration projects, sustainable travel initiatives, energy upgrades to the council’s large energy use buildings, and a wetland extension and biodiversity initiative.
Offaly was the second county to work with EnergyCloud – a pilot social energy programme launched in late 2024 in partnership with EnergyCloud Ireland, AWS, and national grid actors like ESB and EirGrid where excess renewable electricity is converted into free hot water to those on low incomes in social housing in the Tullamore DZ – in order to tackle energy poverty. This is a flagship just transition and climate innovation project for the midlands.
“Offaly’s rise as a renewable energy powerhouse is both remarkable and strategic.”
Capacity for more private investment
The county town of Tullamore has retained a lot of its inherent character with attractive streetscapes. There has been significant investment with urban design enhancements to its main thoroughfare and the traditional O’Connor Square. With a solid urban framework plan for the town, the council is focused on tackling dereliction and vacancy; progressing further street enhancement works and working with private and semi-state landowners to secure the redevelopment of strategic sites, such as the Canal Harbour.
While the town has been the administrative centre for the county with Midland Regional Hospital Tullamore and the council’s offices, the town and its environs has also emerged as a hub for med-tech/bio-tech, advanced manufacturing, and engineering companies.
The agri-food sector is also prominent with Tullamore Dew Distillery and Glenisk being notable in this regard. The IDA has recently purchased a significant landbank; a unique selling point of the town is that it is less than 1.5 hours away from other key urban centres in the region, such as Dublin, Galway, and Limerick.
While there is relatively good access to the M6 via the N52, the chief executive notes that further improvements to the national and regional road network would really enhance the strategic position and offer of the town, while also enhancing the connectivity of other midland towns to strategic ports and airports such as Rosslare and Shannon Airport. The town offers businesses cost advantages associated cheaper property prices and more affordable home ownership.
STEM innovation
The council, through its STEM officer and in partnership with the midlands counties, led out in fostering a culture of innovation through initiatives that connect young people with real-world science, technology, engineering, and mathematics applications.
The programme facilitated collaboration, from schools participating in programmes such as hydrogen-powered STEM projects, to collaborations with industry leaders in renewable energy, engineering, and advanced manufacturing.
This growing ecosystem is enabling Offaly to nurture talent locally by providing a future-ready workforce while attracting cutting-edge companies to the region. The impact of the programme is demonstrated in the significant increase of secondary schools that now offer computer science as a Leaving Certificate subject (significantly higher than the national average) and the success of Offaly schools competing at national and international level (US and China).
Two Offaly schools, Coláiste Choilm and the Sacred Heart, represented Ireland at the World VEX IQ Robotics Finals in the USA in May 2025. Sacred Heart School Tullamore won the Judges Award out of hundreds of teams worldwide.
Delivering a just transition
Through the Renewable Electricity Support Scheme (RESS), large-scale renewable energy projects are required to contribute to community benefit funds, creating a direct and ongoing link between energy generation and community-led initiatives, local infrastructure, and social projects.
They also deliver direct annual payments to households located in close proximity to windfarms. This ensures that those most directly impacted by renewable projects receive a fair and visible return.
With more than 20 large-scale renewable energy projects expected to come on stream across Offaly in the coming years, it is estimated that in excess of €40 million could be generated for communities over the next 15 years.
Looking beyond individual projects, Offaly is adopting an ambitious, forward-thinking approach by exploring the potential to pool community benefit funds into a coordinated and unified investment vehicle that could combine resources and allow for the delivery of legacy/capital projects of scale with longer-term economic and community benefits.
Tourism and amenity
Offaly has a varied and unique tourism offering including the Grand Canal Greenway; the River Shannon; the riverside towns of Shannonbridge and Banagher; the heritage offering of Clonmacnoise and Birr castle with its telescope and gardens; the Slieve Bloom Mountains with its extensive mountain bike and hiking trails and large mountain top nature reserve; and peatlands of note at Clara Bog and Lough Boora.
Offaly County Council is working with Fáilte Ireland to promote the county through the Destination Experience Development Plan for Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, and the promotion of ‘unrushed’ and slow tourism offers, building on recent just transition funding of tourism SMEs.
Through the Midlands Cycling Destination, Offaly seeks to connect a network of greenways, walking trails, and blueways across the county with links into neighbouring counties.
This initiative is creating a cohesive and attractive tourism experience that blends outdoor recreation with heritage, biodiversity, and sustainable infrastructure. Ryan believes that Offaly must be positioned as a leading destination for active tourism, build on its facilities, and further the accommodation offerings and new hotels to attract more overnight stays.
Biodiversity and sustainability
Offaly is committed to ensuring that growth in renewable energy is balanced with strong environmental stewardship. Protecting habitats and enhancing biodiversity are central to this strategy. Offaly County Council welcomes BnM’s ambitious peatland restoration initiatives, recognising the critical role these landscapes play in carbon storage, climate regulation, and ecological resilience.
The council is acutely aware of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the EU Nature Restoration Regulation (2024) which introduces binding restoration targets and active repair of ecosystems.
“Energy leadership alone is not enough for Offaly; it must be supported by robust infrastructure.”
In support of these, the council has recently proposed, through an amendment to its county development plan that peatland and nature corridors – two strategic corridors east and west in the county – will work as a counter-balance to the extremely successful renewable energy pipeline in these areas.
They also offer to enhance the visitor experience along proposed peatway routes, as identified in the Midlands Cycling Destination: Offaly, the national cycle network and BnM/Fáilte Ireland’s strategic trails network. These corridors will be an exemplar in balancing renewable energy success with landscape protection/restoration, biodiversity, amenity, and community development.
Municipal districts
The council continues to invest in significant urban and village renewal projects across the three municipal districts of Birr, Tullamore, and Edenderry. Construction will commence on Edenderry Swimming Pool and Edenderry Library and Arts Centre very shortly. Edenderry has seen significant growth over the past 20 years. The council is committed to developing the social infrastructure provision across the county.
Conclusion
“With a relatively young and dynamic management team, an agile workforce and extremely positive and forward-looking elected members, I am confident that we can position Offaly on a strong path to success,” says Ryan.
“Offaly presents strong energy and environmental credentials and offers a compelling proposition in terms of connectivity and quality of life. Its central location provides excellent access to Ireland’s major urban centres, including Dublin, Galway, and Limerick, supported by strong road and rail infrastructure. This strategic positioning allows businesses to operate efficiently while benefiting from the cost advantages associated with the midlands.”
| Eoghan Ryan joined Offaly County Council in February 2026. Prior to this, he was a director of services with Kildare County Council. He has previously worked at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Social Protection, and the National Building Agency Ltd. |
