Two thirds of Westmeath streetlights now energy savers

Two thirds of the 10,700 streetlights in Westmeath are now LED, and the replacement of existing streetlights with low-energy LED alternatives is expected towards the end of next year, members of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad learned at their November meeting.

The information came in a response to Cllr Denis Leonard, who asked that the council prioritise the replacement of streetlamps with LEDs in towns and village centres in rural areas in the district, as at present some are only 25-30 percent LED.

“This should be done in the interest of uniformity, safety, and enhancing rural communal space on the dark winter evenings,” Cllr Leonard’s motion stated.

The Municipal District’s response explained that the work is being done nationwide, and is known as the PLEEP (Public Lighting Energy Efficiency Project). Kilkenny County Council is acting as the lead authority for region 2, of which Westmeath is a part.

“The main aim of the project is to upgrade existing luminaries to high-efficiency, low-energy LED luminaries throughout our county,” the reply stated, adding that the contract for the PLEEP in Region 2 has been awarded and the project is proceeding through the survey and design stage.

“It is anticipated that PLEEP survey works will commence in Westmeath in Q1 of 2024 with the construction phase planned to commence towards the end of Q2 2024,” it continued. The reply informed Cllr Leonard that in the meantime, Westmeath County council’s public lighting maintenance contractor continues to install new LED Lanterns, where required.

“In total 63.7% of over 10,500 public lighting Luminaries in Westmeath have now been upgraded to LED,” it concluded.