I have received a number of overtures in recent months to persuade Bord na Móna to agree to the long-term lease of a minimum of 5,000 acres of peatland around the Coole area for development by a competitor of Bord na Móna's horticultural peat business. The latest such representation was made to me on 3 November.
Bord na Móna was established to develop the peat resources of Ireland. The company's activities now include: the supply of milled peat for electricity generation, the production of moss peat for the domestic and international horticulture market, the use of peat for the production of briquettes, and the environmental application of peat for waste water and odour treatments.
The company has long-term contractual obligations to supply existing ESB peat-burning generating stations and the new 120MW power plant to be built at Edenderry. It must maintain sufficient reserves of peat to meet these existing and future obligations. The company employs over 1,800 permanent and 600 seasonal staff in Ireland, mainly in the midlands. Over 60 people, 48 of whom are permanent, are employed in Bord na Móna's activities in the Ballivor/Coolnagun area.