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Traditionally a carbon generator via its turf production, Bórd na Móna aims to transform itself into a low-carbon green machine

Bord na Móna’s ‘Brown to Green’ strategy puts the company at the leading edge of Ireland’s climate action agenda. Decarbonising operations is at the heart of the strategy that moves away from its traditional peat business into renewables, resource recovery and new sustainable businesses. 

The turnaround in the company that, up to just a few years ago, was nearly completely dependent on peat-based revenues is impressive. By 2025 over 80% of company revenues and employment will be derived from green businesses.

According to chief executive Tom Donnellan (pictured): “As a company we are supporting Ireland’s response to the challenge posed by climate change. We launched our Brown to Green strategy in 2018 with a mission to transition the company away from our traditional peat-based activities towards a green, low-carbon company that will play a leadership role in building Ireland’s green economy. 

“Our strategy is to become a leading provider of renewable energy on the Island of Ireland by 2026, a leader in high-value recycling, and provider of a range of new low carbon goods and services. Allied to all of this, a key focus is ensuring that Bord na Móna remains a very significant employer in the Midlands for the decades to come.”

Renewable Energy

The Brown to Green strategy highlights that 70% of Bord na Móna generated electricity will be renewable by the end of 2020, with Oweninny Wind Farm in Co Mayo on-stream in late 2019. Oweninny is the latest in a series of wind and other renewable power assets that the company is developing. 

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When Phase Two of Oweninny is complete, it will have the total capacity to power over 100,000 Irish households. 

Bord na Móna plans an accelerated development pipeline to deliver in excess of 3TWh of renewable electricity by 2030, with the majority delivered through onshore wind farms and other renewable energy projects such as solar and biogas.

Resource Recovery

Investment and acquisitions by the Resource Recovery business in high-value recycling and waste recovery operations aim to support the national circular economy. Bord na Móna developed Ireland’s only tyre recycling facility in Drogheda, creating 40 jobs, while another 40 jobs were also created by opening a new plastics recycling facility at a former briquette factory in Littleton, Co Tipperary. The Brown to Green strategy also calls for 70% of customer refuse and waste to be recycled by 2025.

Peatland Rehabilitation

The move away from traditional operations was also accelerated in the past year. In June the company suspended peat harvesting and commenced work on its Enhanced Peatland Rehabilitation Scheme (EPRS). 

This scheme will see Bord na Móna meet its objective of rehabilitating or restoring 65,000 hectares (160,000 acres) of peatlands. EPRS is the most extensive project of its kind ever undertaken in Europe and will see carbon returned to the earth in the very places where peat was harvested for the past 100 years. 

Bord na Móna is also project manager of 1,800 hectares of the 2020 national protected raised-bog restoration programme, one of the government measures within Ireland’s Biodiversity and Climate Action Plan. 

According to Donnellan: “EPRS will further accelerate the move away from peat-related activities in a manner that secures employment for impacted employees and ensures Bord na Móna continues to be a major employer in the Midlands. Bord na Móna is in the business of climate action and we are uniquely placed to help Ireland realise its climate action goals.”