Brown to Green: Climate solution expansion

Bord na Móna is a climate solutions and renewable energy company playing a pivotal role in the achievement of Ireland’s ambitious climate goals.

In line with its Brown to Green transition strategy, Bord na Móna is fully committed to the continued expansion of its climate solutions and renewable energy portfolio. As we decarbonise industry, transport, and electricity production, our consumption of fossil fuel needs to be reduced and replaced by renewable energy as much as possible.

This will be best achieved by engaging in a multi-faceted approach that involves investing in, and developing, several renewable energy sources. Bord na Móna exemplifies this approach with its involvement in several important projects, centred around green hydrogen, offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms and flexible technology.

Wind energy

Bord na Móna made significant progress over the past 12 months with €100 million invested in the expansion of its renewable energy offering, including wholly owned developments as well as joint venture projects. Wind energy milestones included the construction of the Cloncreen Wind Farm and the Oweninny Wind Farm, which is a joint venture with the ESB, as well as the commencement of work at the Derrinlough Wind Farm. These wind projects collectively represent an overall investment of €250 million. Bord na Móna also launched a joint venture with Ocean Winds to develop its first offshore wind farms around the coast of Ireland. The joint venture aims to generate up to 2.3GW of renewable electricity to power up to 2.1 million homes.

Another one of Bord na Móna’s latest onshore developments is the 105MW Derrinlough Wind Farm and the 110 kV Substation project. The site, comprising two bogs, Clongawny and Drinagh, exemplifies how Bord na Móna is transitioning from fossil fuels and peat production to sustainable energy. Comprising of 21 wind turbines with a total capacity of 105MW, the wind farm harnesses the power of nature’s resources to provide sustainable electricity for Irish communities.

Solar

An additional milestone in Bord na Móna’s renewable pipeline was announced in July 2023; Bord na Móna and its project partners ESB commenced construction of a new solar farm at Timahoe North, County Kildare, as part of a wider solar energy joint venture between the two companies.

Timahoe North will be the first large-scale solar project that both Bord na Móna and the ESB will bring to fruition as part of their respective renewable energy portfolios. It is expected that Timohoe North Solar Farm will be fully operational by the end of 2024, with an installed capacity of 108MW of renewable energy to the national grid.

This is enough energy to power around 25,000 homes, which will support the delivery of more green energy to communities and businesses across the country in line with Ireland’s renewable energy targets for 2030. The Timahoe North Solar Farm is part of a significant co-development agreement between Bord na Móna and the ESB to develop solar power across four midlands locations in Kildare, Offaly, and Roscommon. The joint venture will collectively deliver up to 500MW of power from solar farms based on Bord na Móna lands.

“The ongoing expansion of Bord na Móna’s renewable energy portfolio not only aligns with Ireland’s climate action plan and its 2030 carbon emissions targets but also represents a significant milestone in the company’s transition from brown to green energy.”

Green hydrogen

In summer 2023, Bord na Móna announced the development of a new 2MW pilot scale hydrogen electrolysis plant in Mount Lucas, County Offaly, having secured planning permission from Offaly County Council. Once operational, the new plant will generate over 200,000 kilograms of green hydrogen per annum.

This green energy produced at the Mount Lucas site will be used to help decarbonise certain elements of our national transport sector and will produce enough green energy every year to replace over half a million litres of diesel. The plant at Mount Lucas is part of the first phase of Bord na Móna’s overall hydrogen development strategy with construction set to commence in 2024, and production to begin by 2025. This project is the first of its kind in Ireland and an important step for the green hydrogen industry, as it will support the achievement of our national target of 2GW of green hydrogen energy by 2030.

In numbers…

Bord na Móna recently announced record financial results in its 2023 Annual Report, an outcome of a record performance across most areas of the business but driven particularly by Bord na Móna’s renewable energy portfolio which grew by 35 per cent in FY23 versus the previous year – including Cloncreen and Oweninny Wind Farms (both RESS 1 projects) which collectively delivered an additional 175MW of electricity over the past 12 months. In line with these renewable energy projects, the company continues to invest in accompanying local community benefit schemes.

The ongoing expansion of Bord na Móna’s renewable energy portfolio not only aligns with Ireland’s climate action plan and its 2030 carbon emissions targets but also represents a significant milestone in the company’s transition from brown to green energy.

This underscores Bord na Móna’s dedication to further broadening its array of renewable energy and climate solutions initiatives into the future.

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W: www.bordnamona.ie