The construction of Ireland's largest biomass plant is planned to begin later in the month, announced the country's chief Enda Kenny on Sunday.

The €180 million (about $275 million) project will be located in County Mayo, a county in the West of Ireland, and will be fuelled by woodchip biomass to generate enough power for 68,000 homes.

The 42 megawatt plant is expected to be up and running by 2017 and plans to provide 350 construction jobs over the next two years, according to Kenny.

 Mayo Renewable Power is undertaking the project, which is backed by U.S. investment company Weichert Enterprise, while financial assistance will also come from the Ulster Bank, Allied Irish Bank and Barclays.

“This investment is a vote of confidence in the Irish economy and is part of the recovery that is beginning to spread to every region of Ireland,” Kenny said.

Kenny stressed that the largest biomass plant in the country "will contribute to reducing our greenhouse emissions."

Ireland targets meeting 40 percent of the country's electricity demand, 12 percent of its heat and 10 percent of its transport from renewable sources by 2020, according to the sustainable energy authority of Ireland.

By Zeynep Beyza Karabay

Anadolu Agency

zeynep.karabay@aa.com.tr