Reports related to this article:
Plant(s): View 6 related plants in PECWeb
Released October 08, 2015 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Ireland is to stop burning peat in its power stations in a move that is being hailed as the "largest change of land use in modern Irish history."
Bord na Móna (Newbridge, Kildare), the semi-state owned company in charge of Ireland's bogs, has announced that it will no longer harvest peat for use in Irish power stations by 2030. In the same timeframe, the company aims to have completed its transition into a sustainable energy company by growing its biomass, wind and solar power projects. The large scale burning of peat in power stations has become a major environmental issue for the company.
Bord na Móna owns huge tracts of land--around 80,000 hectares--across the midlands of Ireland, in counties such as Roscommon, Longford, Kildare, Westmeath and Offaly. The mass harvesting of peat for power stations takes place on large blanket bogs amounting to more than 50,000 hectares, or 125,000 acres. The company currently supplies peat to three power stations: its own 230-megawatt (MW) Edenderry plant, and the West Offaly and Lough Ree power stations, which are owned by national energy utility Electricity Supply Board (ESB) (Dublin). They have a combined generating capacity of 260 MW.
"Bord na Móna has a mandate from the Irish people to develop the natural resources located on these bogs for the benefit of the Irish people," explained Chief Executive Officer Mike Quinn, launching the company's Sustainability 2030 Report. "That mandate means our business was, is and will remain rooted in the bogs of Ireland. For the last eight decades we have underpinned Ireland's energy security by supplying peat from Irish bogs to power stations. By 2030 we will cease harvesting energy peat but we will be making sure those 125,000 acres do more. We will use the land to continue to underpin Ireland's energy independence only now we will be using green sustainable energy sources such as wind, biomass and solar power. We will utilize the land to continue to supply domestic heating products using more biomass and low carbon raw materials.
With large scale peat cutting coming to an end, the company plans to plant fast growing willow in the bogs to provide biomass products for use in power stations and homes. It also hopes to open a new windfarm every year on unused bog land for the next seven years.
The company already owns and operates three windfarms in Ireland--Mount Lucas, Bellacorick, and Bruckana--with a combined generating capacity of almost 133 MW.
In 2013, Ireland had high hopes of becoming a major exporter of wind energy to the U.K., with plans to erect hundreds of turbines in the midlands that could have generated up to 3,000 MW. However, the deal collapsed last year due to tight deadlines and regulatory hurdles. For additional information, see April 17, 2014, article - Ireland Cancels U.K. Wind Energy Deal.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.
Bord na Móna (Newbridge, Kildare), the semi-state owned company in charge of Ireland's bogs, has announced that it will no longer harvest peat for use in Irish power stations by 2030. In the same timeframe, the company aims to have completed its transition into a sustainable energy company by growing its biomass, wind and solar power projects. The large scale burning of peat in power stations has become a major environmental issue for the company.
Bord na Móna owns huge tracts of land--around 80,000 hectares--across the midlands of Ireland, in counties such as Roscommon, Longford, Kildare, Westmeath and Offaly. The mass harvesting of peat for power stations takes place on large blanket bogs amounting to more than 50,000 hectares, or 125,000 acres. The company currently supplies peat to three power stations: its own 230-megawatt (MW) Edenderry plant, and the West Offaly and Lough Ree power stations, which are owned by national energy utility Electricity Supply Board (ESB) (Dublin). They have a combined generating capacity of 260 MW.
"Bord na Móna has a mandate from the Irish people to develop the natural resources located on these bogs for the benefit of the Irish people," explained Chief Executive Officer Mike Quinn, launching the company's Sustainability 2030 Report. "That mandate means our business was, is and will remain rooted in the bogs of Ireland. For the last eight decades we have underpinned Ireland's energy security by supplying peat from Irish bogs to power stations. By 2030 we will cease harvesting energy peat but we will be making sure those 125,000 acres do more. We will use the land to continue to underpin Ireland's energy independence only now we will be using green sustainable energy sources such as wind, biomass and solar power. We will utilize the land to continue to supply domestic heating products using more biomass and low carbon raw materials.
With large scale peat cutting coming to an end, the company plans to plant fast growing willow in the bogs to provide biomass products for use in power stations and homes. It also hopes to open a new windfarm every year on unused bog land for the next seven years.
The company already owns and operates three windfarms in Ireland--Mount Lucas, Bellacorick, and Bruckana--with a combined generating capacity of almost 133 MW.
In 2013, Ireland had high hopes of becoming a major exporter of wind energy to the U.K., with plans to erect hundreds of turbines in the midlands that could have generated up to 3,000 MW. However, the deal collapsed last year due to tight deadlines and regulatory hurdles. For additional information, see April 17, 2014, article - Ireland Cancels U.K. Wind Energy Deal.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. To contact an office in your area, visit the Industrial Info "Contact Us" page.
