A UTILITY CONTRACTING company is to create 150 new jobs as a result of securing significant contracts in the utilities sector.

Gaeltec provides specialist contracting support to public and private companies rolling out or upgrading energy and telecoms infrastructure and networks across Ireland.

The company is currently working on several strategic electricity transmission, distribution and fibre broadband projects.

These include working with SIRO, the joint venture between ESB and Vodafone, on the roll-out of the next phase of its fibre broadband network across Ireland.

Overall, 60 of the 150 new roles will support this project, which will see SIRO’s fibre broadband network reach 154 towns across Ireland and provide Gigabit broadband connectivity to 770,000 premises within the next four years.

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said: “This is great news from Gaeltec, creating 150 new jobs, mainly in Kilkenny with some opportunities nationwide.

“It’s a real boost in our capacity to build important infrastructure, such as broadband.

“Sixty of these jobs will be on SIRO’s new project, upgrading thousands of their customers across the country to fibre broadband.”

The firm’s managing director, Joao Felizardo said: “To facilitate the growth, Gaeltec is making a 0.75m euro investment in further development of its headquarters in Kilkenny.

“We are really excited about having 150 more people, who share our values and ambition, join us during the next exciting stage of Gaeltec’s development.”

The roles on offer include junior and senior engineering positions, field surveyors, fibre technicians, GIS technicians, supervisors, designers, electricians and plant operators.

The positions will be based primarily in Gaeltec’s Kilkenny and Dublin offices, but a number, such as site staff will be based on projects located nationwide.

Meanwhile Cerenovus, an emerging leader in neurovascular care and part of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies has announced this morning a €50m investment over the next three years at its site in Galway.

This investment will 30 new specialist jobs to be created at the west of Ireland site, which is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.

With reporting from Niall O’Connor.