Guinness-maker Diageo has unveiled plans to open a new €200m brewery in Newbridge, Co Kildare, where it will brew a range of ales and lagers, including Hop House 13, Rockshore, and Smithwick’s.

The plan will also free up space for it to make more stout for export at St James’s Gate. 

The drinks giant said that if it secures planning permission it will create Ireland’s second largest brewery after St James’s Gate and will start production at the Newbridge site in 2024 with the facility supporting 50 direct new jobs.

A spokesman for Diageo said the move showed it was committed to further development at the St James’s Gate site.

The investment involves it transferring production of Rockshore, Harp, Hop House 13, Smithwick’s, Kilkenny. and Carlsberg, to Newbridge.

The announcement is also something of a U-turn for Diageo in Ireland which had been noted for more than a decade for closing brewing sites across Ireland rather than opening new facilities.

Following a major review of its operations in 2008, Diageo had denied speculation it would close the St James’s Gate brewery, and instead recommitted to the Dublin brewery and its international status as a major producer of Guinness.

But at the same time, the international drinks giant also announced the closure of production at the 11-acre Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny City, where brewing had taken place for more than four centuries. 

It had also announced in 2008 the closure of a 12-acre site in Dundalk, with the loss of 250 jobs, although committing to its extensive packaging operations in Belfast.

In subsequent years, Diageo also closed its brewing operations in Waterford.

Diageo said the Newbridge brewery could produce 2m hectolitres of lagers and ales, and “support the future growth of Diageo Ireland’s beer brands”.

It also hailed the new Newbridge facility for allowing it to cut 15,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, including at St James’s Gate.

“As the production of lagers and ales is transferred to the new facility it will enable St James’s Gate to increase the production of Guinness to meet global demand,” said Colin O’Brien, head of global beer supply at Diageo.

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said the investment would boost the Irish beverages industry: 

This €200m investment by Diageo is really great news for the future development of Ireland’s thriving food and drink industry, and also for the wider national economy.

Government agencies also hailed the investment.

“Diageo is a key client of Enterprise Ireland, and we look forward to continuing to partner with them as they embark on this ambitious project to create Ireland’s first purpose-built carbon neutral brewery,” said Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy.

Martin Shanahan, the outgoing chief at the IDA, said the announcement will help the Irish food and drinks industry to meet climate goals. 

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