Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2020
624. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the details of his Departments engagement with Bord na Móna prior to and after its decision to suspend all peat harvesting and commence work on its enhanced peatland rehabilitation scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13013/20]
View answerBord na Móna announced, on 16 June, its intention to suspend peat harvesting activities for 2020 while its substitute consent application is under consideration by an Bord Pleanala and to put in place an enhanced peatlands rehabilitation scheme as a key component of Bord na Móna’s move away from peat. The Government is committed to supporting Bord na Móna to deliver an extensive programme of rehabilitation of the company’s land bank. This commitment was reaffirmed most recently in its response to the progress report of the Just Transition Commissioner, published on 22 May. That response confirmed that the Department and Bord na Móna are progressing the necessary measures to facilitate the advanced rehabilitation of a further 33,000 hectares of Bord na Móna bog previously harvested for peat used in electricity generation, commencing this year.
My Department has had intensive engagement with the company over recent months as part of the development of this scheme. Most recently, in advance of Bord na Móna’s announcement, my Department wrote to the company on 12 June confirming a number of further specific steps that will now need to be undertaken as a matter of urgency to finalise the design of the proposed scheme. This work is ongoing between Bord na Mona and the Department.
