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Minister McHugh leads Enterprise Ireland Cleantech Trade Visit to Scotland

Joe McHugh T.D., Minister for the Diaspora and International Development today begins a two day itinerary in Scotland to raise the profile of Ireland as a country that is growing and embracing the use of energy efficient technologies in design, construction and engineering processes.

Central to the Minister’s itinerary is participation in the Enterprise Ireland Energy Efficiency Seminar which takes place in Edinburgh today and a site visit on day two to Scottish Water Horizons Deerdykes Development Centre.
The trade visit concludes with a site visit to Lochwinnoch, outside Glasgow, to view a bridge refurbishment project being delivered by Enterprise Ireland client Coffey Construction.

The Water and Waste Water sector, a subsector of the Cleantech industry is represented by 11 out of a total of 21 Irish companies participating in the trade visit and forms part of an industry cluster, established by Enterprise Ireland in 2015. The national cluster is working closely with British Water and the UK Water Partnership and the visit will serve to nurture relations with Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Water’s Innovation Service.

Speaking on his arrival in Edinburgh, Minister McHugh said: “This Enterprise Ireland trade visit provides an important opportunity to position Ireland as a partner that can contribute, collaborate and share in the benefits of innovation in the water and waste water industry and energy efficiency markets. It also provides a platform to emphasise Ireland’s commitment to our economic relationship with Scotland in the context of Brexit and how Enterprise Ireland is working with Irish companies to support the drive for innovation in the UK in clean technology.
I look forward to meeting with industry leaders from both Scotland and Ireland over the next two days to explore new ways in which we can strengthen the existing trading relationship for the benefit of both economies,” Minister McHugh concluded.
The 21 companies participating in the Enterprise Ireland Trade Mission to Scotland represent a cross-section of the Irish cleantech sector which comprises companies in Energy Efficiency, Water, Renewable Energy, Waste Management, Bioenergy and Services sector. It also encompasses companies from a range of other diverse industries including engineering, software, building management and electronics.
Many of the companies travelling are already established names within the sector in Scotland and include Coffey Construction Ltd, Cleantech Civils Ltd. and Electrical & Pump Services Ltd. (EPS), all of whom have successfully secured and are working on large-scale projects with UK Water Utilities. The Minister will also meet with Irish companies specialising in providing Energy Efficiencies (EE) including Crowley Carbon who last year announced a local partnership with Scottish based Eco Energy to enhance their service offering to UK clients.

Speaking at the beginning of the first day of the trade visit, Dr Tom Kelly, Head of Division, Industrial, Lifesciences and Consumer, Enterprise Ireland said:
“Today’s Energy Efficiency trade event provides a platform to support the growth of Irish exports to Scotland and cement the status of Irish companies as being world leading innovators in the cleantech sector. Enterprise Ireland’s clients in Construction, Cleantech and Consumers sectors exported €1.14billion to the UK last year and therefore its value in terms of exports and jobs is of significant strategic importance. The visit will facilitate practical relationship building for Irish companies with their current and prospective counterparts in Scotland as well as raising the profile of Ireland at the highest levels of UK industry and Government.”

Minister McHugh will address the Enterprise Ireland Energy Efficiency seminar on Tuesday where he will be joined by range of expert speakers including Ewen Cameron, International Sector Head for Renewable and Low Carbon Technologies, Scottish Development International, Stewart Reid, Head of Asset Management and Innovation, SSE, Richard Miller, Head of Enterprise, Scottish Canals, Hector Grant, Chief Executive, Scottish Energy Association, Warren McIntyre, Zero Waste Scotland, Martin Valenti, Vice-Chair, Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group and Jill Fenton, Advice Centre Manager, Home Energy Scotland.
12 Enterprise Ireland client companies will present at the seminar, which will be chaired by Iain Watson, Director of Energy Efficiency at the Green Investment Bank and will discuss green efficient themes pertinent to the Scottish market place.
Minister McHugh will also host a round table lunch with seven Enterprise Ireland client companies to discuss opportunities that exist in the Scottish market for Irish companies and the implications of Brexit for business and industry.