Northern Ireland firm O'Kane Plumbing and Electrics has announced plans for more than 70 new jobs in the Republic.

The Co Tyrone-based company said the jobs will be created in its renewable energy division over the next three years.

Forty jobs will be advertised this year — and a further 15 jobs will be created next year and the same number the following year for tradespeople, surveyors, administrative and managerial staff.

The jobs will be created when the company, based in Dunamore near Cookstown, expands its operation in Leinster.

It also plans to extend its apprenticeship programme for school leavers into the Republic.

Tanaiste and Minister for Trade, Enterprise and Employment, Mary Coughlan, who is a friend of managing director Maurice O'Kane's wife, formally announced the new jobs yesterday.

“This creation of jobs is a fantastic boost to the area of Leinster at this time,” she said at the launch in the Merrion Hotel in Dublin.

“It is a vital step forward to ensuring the demands for renewable energy sources are met as more people realise the value of money-saving initiatives provided in the country.”

She said business people had not been inclined to think about cross-border opportunities in the past.

“I recognise and welcome O'Kane's commitment to its Irish customers and its Dublin base. These new jobs will serve to strengthen this commitment further,” she said.

O'Kane Plumbing and Electrics currently employs 60 people and was established over 20 years ago.

Managing director Maurice O'Kane said the company placed a special emphasis on rising energy costs.

He said the company could assist householders who wanted to try new renewable energy products, like solar panels, to benefit from government grants.

He said a recent report showed that 160,000 homes in Dublin had a building energy rating that was one of the lowest a home could get.