Kerry County Council has given the green light to Astellas €330 million plan to construct a new production facility.
The pharmaceutical company will build a new three-storey state-of-the-art facility at the IDA’s green-field site Kerry Technology Park near Tralee, Co Kerry.
The project will take place over two phases and will see the construction of a three-storey ‘FillFinish’ production building covering an overall floor area of 19,989 sqm.
A Central Utilies Building with a floor area of 663sqm
In Phase One, a woodchip boiler building, an electrical switch room, a security office building and a sprinkler pump house will all be built.
A wastewater pre-treatment plant with an associated storage tank will begin construction during Phase One. A second storage tank will be built during Phase Two.
Plans were submitted on November 2023 with the council approving on 19 December 2023.
Construction is expected to start later this year, creating an estimated 600 jobs.
Speaking during the announcement of the project, Astellas’ Chief Manufacturing Officer Hideki Shima said that the company “is developing innovative drugs and technologies based on our Focus Area research and development approach, placing patients at the forefront of everything we do.”
“With the new facility, Astellas will aim to strengthen our in-house production capacity and capabilities and ensure a stable supply of high-quality Astellas medicines to patients around the world.”
Michael Lohan, CEO at IDA welcomed the announcement as “excellent news for the South West region and indeed Ireland”.
“Astellas already has a presence in both Kerry and Dublin and this significant investment of approximately €330 million, adding a new state-of-the-art aseptic drug product facility, underscores the strategic importance Ireland plays in Astellas’ global operations.
“The new facility in Tralee will be built with sustainability at its core and will showcase Ireland and our regional attractiveness as a location for investment.”
Feature Image Credit: PM Group
