Diageo has announced plans to invest €200 million in Ireland’s first purpose-built carbon neutral brewery on a greenfield site in Littleconnell, Newbridge, Co. Kildare.
The new facility will brew lagers and ales including Rockshore, Harp, Hop House 13, Smithwick’s, Kilkenny and Carlsberg. When fully operational with a capacity of 2 million hectolitres, it will be the second largest brewing operation in Ireland after St. James’s Gate and support the future growth of Diageo Ireland’s beer brands.
The brewery will be powered with 100% renewable energy and will harness the latest process technology to minimise overall energy and water consumption. This will enable the brewery to avoid up to 15,000 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. As the production of lagers and ales is transferred to the new facility it will enable St James’s Gate to increase the production of Guinness to meet global demand. Diageo will submit a planning application to Kildare County Council in September this year and, if successful, plans to commence brewing in 2024 following a construction period of approximately two years.
Welcoming the news, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment, Leo Varadkar said, "This €200m investment by Diageo is really great news for the future development of Ireland’s thriving food and drink industry, and also for the wider national economy. It’s also extremely positive for Newbridge and the local economy in Kildare, with up to 1,000 jobs being created during the construction of the site, and 50 once built."
Category Head – Global Beer Supply at Diageo, Colin O'Brien added, "Today is a landmark day for Diageo in Ireland. Our plans for a new, state-of-the-art brewery in Kildare, and the developments at St. James’s Gate, will enable growth in overall beer exports from Ireland. We are fully committed to embedding sustainability across our business from grain to glass and this announcement represents the next step in our integrated approach towards achieving one of Diageo’s Society 2030: Spirit of Progress commitments by becoming carbon neutral in our direct operations."
Source: www.businessworld.ie
