Bord na Móna outlines plans for re-wetting of Bloomhill bog
Bord na Móna has outlined plans for the re-wetting and rehabilitation of part of Bloomhill bog, near Ballinahown, and said it was reviewing the potential for a renewable energy project on another area of the site.
The 765 hectare bog, near the Offaly - Westmeath border, was used for industrial peat harvesting between 1981 and 2020.
A public consultation process on the proposed decommissioning and rehabilitation of the bog is now underway, and a 'screening for Appropriate Assessment and Natura Impact Statement' report on the project was published online by Bord na Móna this month.
The report, prepared by Galway-based consultancy firm Delichon Ecology, outlines plans for an initial rehabilitation of some 438 hectares of the bog, just over half of its total area, between 2022 and 2024.
It went on to say that Bord na Móna "continually reviews its land-bank to consider future commercial or industrial developments," and that the company was carrying out a review of the potential for a renewable energy project at Bloomhill Bog.
It said the review on the potential energy project should be completed "in 1-2 years" and that 327-hectare area of the bog in question "will be rehabilitated after the renewable energy review is complete."
No specific details of the potential renewable energy project were included in the report.
The company said that if a renewable energy project does go ahead on the bog it would be "planned in adherence to relevant planning guidelines, and will consider the rehabilitation and the condition of the site."
Bloomhill bog is part of the Blackwater bog group and was drained and developed for industrial peat production at the beginning of the 1980s. It's situated four kilometres to the south-west of Ballinahown in Offaly.
The proposed rehabilitation of the bog is part of a programme of peatland restoration which Bord na Mona began last year and which is due to include a total of 33,000 hectares of peatland.
The work at Bloomhill bog will include drain-blocking and other measures to "raise water levels to the surface of the bog and to encourage the natural colonisation of vegetation."
Rehabilitation work at the bog is expected to be completed within 12 months, and will then be followed by decommissioning activities, including the clean-up of remaining waste and materials located in bogs, yards, buildings and offices.
An active rail line is still operational between Bloomhill and other Bord na Mona bogs in the landscape surrounding the site, and the company said this rail line "will continue to be used until Derrinlough briquette factory ceases production."
It was announced early last year that the factory was likely to continue producing briquettes until 2024.
Details of the planned rehabilitation work at Bloomhill bog can be found at: bnmpcas.ie/nisconsultation/
Public submissions on the project can be made to: Peatlands Climate Action Scheme, Bord na Móna, Main Street, Newbridge, Co Kildare, or by email to: pcasinfo@bnm.ie using the subject line 'NIS Public Consultation - Bloomhill Bog'.