Dominick Donnelly

Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Minister Eamon Ryan and Senator Dan Boyle with senior managment at DePuy, Ringaskiddy

During his visit to Cork on Friday 17th April, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, visited the DePuy plant in Loughbeg, Ringaskiddy, to see their energy inititiatives first hand.  The picture above shows, from left to right, John Lynch (Plant Manager DePuy), James Winters (Engineering Manager DePuy), Dan Donovan (Technical Services Team Leader DePuy), Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Minister Eamon Ryan, Senator Dan Boyle and the Cork hurler Donal Og Cusack, who is leading DePuy’s energy initiative.  In the background is the test mast which DePuy are currently using to get test readings in advance of submitting a planning application for a wind turbine.

As part of the visit, Minister Ryan was given an excellent presentation by Donal Og Cusack, as the leader of DePuy’s energy initiative, and Plant Manager John Lynch, in which they outlined the very serious way in which DePuy are taking energy issues.  For many years DePuy have been reducing their energy needs while increasing their output, and this has led them to very substantial financial savings.  Donal Og Cusack described how DePuy has trained its employees to take energy issues as seriously as they take safety issues.  He also described how over half of the electricity they buy is from renewable sources, and how they are looking at different ways of generating their own electricity on site.  As a start on this, DePuy have come together with four other large plants in Ringaskiddy, and the five companies will be submitting planning applications later in the year to install wind turbines on the Ringaskiddy peninsula.  DePuy are also installing a woodchip boiler, which will be up and running later this year.  They are also exploring the potential of such technologies as geothermal and wave power.

Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, who accompanied Minister Ryan on his visit, said:  “It is wonderful to see a company such as DePuy is taking energy issues so seriously.  DePuy continue to grow their business, and are currently employing about 700 people, with an extension currently under construction.  DePuy are a model to other businesses as to how taking energy issues seriously leads to substantial savings on the company’s bottom line.”