Laois council commissioning major green energy blueprint for Midlands

Laois County Council is inviting companies to bid for the contract to prepare a green energy roadmap for the Midland counties that have relied for decades on fossil fuels as the main source of energy.

The Local Authority is taking the lead role as the contracting authority in the process of recruiting alternative energy consultants to deliver the win the contract which is split in two parts - the second of which is optional.

Firstly, the successful consultants will have to prepare a "Technical Options and Assessment Document" for renewable energy potential for Local Authorities in Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath.

This may be followed by the subsequent preparation a Local Authority Renewable Energy Strategy (LARES) for each of the Four Authorities by means of a variation to the relevant County Development Plans will also be required.

The Laois council's tender says this first document which will gather data on a regional basis in relation to the capacity of the Midlands region to deliver on a number of renewable energy options.

Prospective bidders for the contract say the they will be required to support each county to achieve and, where considered possible, to exceed the national targets and commitments to renewable energy.

They're being asked to maximise the opportunities for renewable energy development whilst safeguarding the environment and existing amenities, including residential amenities.

A policy framework will have to be prepared to support where appropriate potential renewable energy projects and to guide renewable energy development to preferred locations.

The plan will also have to meet the objectives to “decarbonise” the economy within the region.

Bidders have been told they will be required to review the capacity of the landscape to take renewable energy installation.

The optional part of the process may also involve some planning on a county basis. This could included proposing what renewable resources are viable for future development within each county.

Map of the renewable energy resources available within the county may also be prepared.

Tender documents say that Local Authorities have increasingly delivered wind-energy strategies in response to the statutory

requirement to have regard to the DEHLG Wind Energy Development Guidelines 2006, as well as the increased development of wind farms across the country.

However, the tender invite says there is now a growing trend for local authorities to prepare renewable energy strategies, which have a broader focus than solely wind energy.

The document says a European Commission has set forth requirements on Ireland to generate energy from renewable

such as wind, solar, aerothermal, geothermal, hydrothermal, hydropower, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases.