Loughrea will be 60 jobs richer thanks to the expansion plans of Mota-Engil, a Portuguese multinational with operations in construction and infrastructure management.

Two of the firm’s subsidiaries, Glan Agua and MEIC, are expanding in Ireland. Glan Agua is a water and wastewater solutions firm, while MEIC is a civil engineering firm.

Mota-Engil and holding company GKM are setting up a UK and Ireland HQ for their subsidiaries in Loughrea, creating 60 jobs over five years in the IDA-backed expansion.

Founded in 2008, Glan Agua provides design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance services within the water and wastewater sector. The company currently employs 63 people and began operations in the Enterprise Centre in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway.

MEIC was founded in 2007 by Mota-Engil and GKM Construction and has since delivered a number of infrastructure and building projects in Ireland, as well as being the civil construction partner with Glan Agua in the water and wastewater sector.

In Association with

CEO of Mota-Engil, Gonçalo Moura Martins (pictured), said: “With the opening of new offices and the goal of creating 60 new jobs in Ireland in the coming years, Mota-Engil is reaffirming its commitment to this market and our intent to continue to invest in this country in order to be a leader in the technical areas in which we operate.

“We are also committed to developing career opportunities and training for young local engineers to expand our activity not only in Ireland but also in the UK.”

Mota-Engil Group has been in operation for 70 years and comprises 294 companies, employing 29,000 people worldwide.

Alexion Facility

Separately, Alexion Pharmaceuticals announced that it is to expand its Athlone operations with an additional €100m investment, which will create 50 jobs, bringing total employment at the facility to over 100.

The funds will be used to build a new biologics manufacturing facility for Alexion, whose Athlone site houses a vial fill-finish facility.

Alexion is also building a large-scale bulk biologics factory at its Dublin site in College Park. Between the two sites, Alexion at present employs over 250 people in Ireland, and expects to grow to almost 500 employees by the end of 2019.

Julie O’Neill, executive VP of global operations at Alexion, said: “Ireland is a key location for Alexion’s global operations and we are committed to further developing our manufacturing facilities in the country to support increasing production needs of our innovative and life-transforming therapies.”

Alexion focuses on developing and delivering therapies for patients with rare conditions, including blood and kidney disorders. Revenue has been growing solidly for Alexion over three years, with 2015 sales worth $2.6 billion.