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Ireland's first card-operated public service station
has opened on the Aran Islands.
Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs,
Éamon Ó Cuív TD officially unveiled the facility on Inis Mór,
which has one tank earmarked for biofuels. It is the latest
landmark initiative to be rolled-out on the off-shore islands
after last March's launch of an electric bus.
Minister Ó Cuív also turned the sod on the island's €40m
port project - the single biggest investment in the islands
in the country's history. "We are all aware of the challenges
posed by climate change and the need to find more sustainable
energy sources and practices" - the Minister said.
"My department has been working closely with Sustainable
Energy Ireland over the past year and Terms of Reference have
been drafted for a major energy needs survey of the islands
- using the Aran Islands as a pilot - aimed eventually at
developing strategies that will reduce dependence on fossil
fuels.
"The station provides the islanders with diesel at present
and I believe that one tank has been earmarked for biofuels,
for when they become commercially viable on the island"
- he added.
The department confirmed that the station will be unmanned
and customers will be able to refuel and pay at pumps using
special cards - details of which have yet to be revealed.
Inis Mór is the country's largest populated off-shore island
with 824 inhabitants. The harbour project - Cill Rónáin -
was announced last July and Minister Ó Cuív said it is further
evidence of the Government's commitment to rolling-out infrastructural
projects for isolated communities.
"The scale of these works demonstrates the importance
of our islands in a national context. It is also a clear indication
of our commitment to levelling the playing field throughout
the country by providing the necessary infrastructure to isolated
areas" - the Minister concluded.
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