Team behind redevelopment of Limerick Gasworks site wins prestigious award

THE team behind the redevelopment of the former gasworks site on O’Curry Street in Limerick city have won a major award.

Staff from Ervia and Gas Networks Ireland have been working to pump out tar from deep underground the land, and make it ready to be used again.

Having been fully on site for the past year, the team has received the Public Sector Project of the Year award at this year’s Irish Project Management Institute Awards. in Dublin.

Kevin McSherry, head of major projects with Ervia, said: “We are extremely proud of the success of the project to date, which we can very much attribute to the great work by our innovative team to solve a legacy environmental issue.

"Managing our environmental impact, including legacy impacts from many years ago, is a key priority for Gas Networks Ireland and the wider Ervia group, and we look to reduce our carbon footprint where possible.

The pump and treat method which we have used has a significantly lower impact on the environment than other, more traditional, remediation methods.”

Congrats the Ervia team who scooped Public Sector Project of the Year (sponsored by Institute of Public Administration) at #ProjectAwards17 pic.twitter.com/N169mUAJtc

— Ireland Chapter PMI (@pmiirl) November 2, 2017

Mr McSherry also paid tribute to local businesses and the community.

The gasworks site played an important role in Limerick’s industrial past.  

Before the introduction of natural gas, in the 1800’s, the gas used to light Limerick’s street lights was made from coal.  The coal tar, a by-product of that, is what is being removed.