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25 Sept 2025

Portlaoise and Portarlington leisure centres and county hall getting energy upgrades

Laois public buildings share in €26 million SEAI deep retrofit Midlands investments

Portlaoise and Portarlington leisure centres and county hall getting energy upgrades

Sean Mullarkey Roscommon County Council, Paddy Mahon Longford CC, Suzanne Dempsey Laois CC, Anna Marie Delaney Offaly CC, Michael Rainey Laois CC, Barry Kehoe Westmeath CC. Photo: Shelley Corcoran

Reporter:

Lynda Kiernan

25 Sept 2025 12:22 PM

Email:

lynda.kiernan@leinsterexpress.ie

The two public Laois Leisure Centres along with Laois County Council's head offices are set to get deep energy upgrades, with half of the cost given by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
The CEO of Laois County Council Michael Rainey was one of five county managers to recently sign a three-year Pathfinder Funding Agreement worth €26.22 million with the SEAI.
Laois County Council has confirmed that county hall and Portlaoise and Portarlington leisure centres are the three main recipients of the money in Laois.
"There may be more but they are the three earmarked for now," a spokesperson confirmed to the Leinster Express / Laois Live.
The two leisure centres are closing one after the other this winter for major repairs, starting with Portlaoise in December. Read about those plans here.
Laois County Council is acting as the lead authority for the Midlands Energy Agency, which includes Laois, Offaly, Longford. Westmeath and Roscommon.
Under the agreement, SEAI will provide 50% funding for both capital works and technical consultancy services, enabling delivery of ambitious retrofit projects at scale.
The programme will support up to 14 large scale projects and 22 design-and-build retrofit projects across the five counties. Together, these initiatives are promised to "dramatically reduce energy demand in public and community buildings, directly supporting the local authorities in achieving 2030 target of a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and the 2050 target of net zero emissions". 
To advance delivery, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between Laois and its four partner authorities were signed by their Chief Executives in Longford on 12th September.
Suzanne Dempsey acting Regional Energy Coordinator for Midland Energy Agency is with Laois County Council.
Paddy Mahon - Chief Executive Longford County Council, Sean Mullarkey -Head of Finance and Energy Performance Officer, Roscommon County Council, Michael Rainey - Chief Executive Laois County Council, Anna Marie Delaney - Chief Executive Offaly County Council, Barry Kehoe - Chief Executive Westmeath County Council. Photo:  Shelley Corcoran
“This Pathfinder Agreement demonstrates the commitment of local authorities in the Midlands to play their part in addressing the climate crisis. By focusing on large-scale retrofits and working in partnership with SEAI, we are ensuring meaningful progress toward national climate targets while also delivering long-term energy savings and improved public buildings for our communities.”
Michael Rainey is the Chief Executive of Laois County Council.
"By signing this Pathfinder Funding Agreement with SEAI, Laois County Council has underlined its leadership role within the Midlands Energy Agency. The Service Level Agreements signed by our partner local authorities are a strong statement of intent, showing the collective commitment of the Midlands to deliver at scale and to play our full part in meeting Ireland’s climate targets," he said.
The Pathfinder programme is described as representing "one of the most significant regional investments in energy efficiency to date, underlining the Midlands’ leadership in Ireland’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon future".

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