Almost 190 jobs are to be created in engineering, project management and software in Wicklow and Kilkenny with the expansion of energy services company Crowley Carbon.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar made the jobs announcement at the company's headquarters in Powerscourt House, Enniskerry, on Saturday.
The 187 jobs will be created over the next three years with the assistance of Enterprise Ireland, which provides State support to companies creating employment in Ireland in manufacturing and internationally traded service sectors.
Crowley Carbon, created in 2009, monitors and manages energy usage in 400 factories globally including Johnson & Johnson, Bunge and GE. It provides renewable energy technology including solar and biomass to its customers to cut energy consumption. While headquartered in Enniskerry, it recently also opened in Kilkenny.
Speaking at the event the Taoiseach said Crowley Carbon was “at the cutting edge of the energy efficiency sector, and I am delighted to see the company expanding its operations here”.
He said the new jobs were a testament to the company’s success in recent years.
Mr Varadkar, who attended a number of engagements in Wicklow on Saturday, added that supporting initiatives that contributed to Ireland’s climate and energy targets “is a priority for the Government and is also a key element of Project Ireland 2040 through the €500 million Climate Action Fund”.
Minister for Health Simon Harris, a Wicklow TD, said the jobs were of “great significance to the local economy in Co Wicklow”.
Chief executive and founder of Crowley Carbon Norman Crowley said the employees had “delivered unprecedented growth over the last two years, tripling the company’s size in 2017 and are on target to also triple in size in 2018.
“Over the last 12 months they have expanded their Dubai and Dublin offices and opened offices in Sydney, Sophia, Sao Paulo and North Carolina.”
Enterprise Ireland executive director for global business development Kevin Sherry said the State agency had worked very closely with Crowley Carbon over the past nine years, particularly "in the areas of research and development and new market development work in international markets".
He said the new high skilled jobs “will enable it to service a growing energy efficiency sector, driven by the strong market need to reduce energy costs, optimise energy generation levels and reduce dependence on fossil fuels”.
Earlier the Taoiseach opened the Vartry reservoir walking trail along with Minister of State and local Fine Gael TD Andrew Doyle.
Mr Doyle said the development and upgrade of 20km of walks around the reservoir had been “a long time in the making” and would provide the community and visitors “with safe access to areas that were previously inaccessible”.
The project is co-funded by the Department of Agriculture under the NeighbourWood scheme which aims to develop “attractive close-to-home woodland amenities for public use and enjoyment”.
