Bord na Móna
Encyclopedia
Bord na Móna abbreviated BNM, is a semi-state company in Ireland
, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat
, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland
. Extensive bog
land is exploited in County Offaly
, County Longford
and County Westmeath
, mainly the Bog of Allen
.
. During WWII
it was necessary to stockpile peat as a fuel, as coal
was in short supply; this cemented the drive for mechanised peat harvesting.
Peat was traditionally manually harvested by operating cutaway bogs. This method (still privately used today) consists of sods being vertically cut from the side face of a peat deposit. Technology was derived to mechanically cut and remove layers of peat from blanket bog
s. Today, equipment is used to remove tonnes of peat each day at suitable times of year (rainfall is a significant variable in peat harvesting). Almost all the peat now harvested is milled peat, scraped from the surface of the bog by tractor-towed pin millers. The milled peat is ridged into small piles which are then transferred by harvesters into large piles running parallel along the bog. Railways are laid alongside each pile, the pile loaded into trains and the railway lifted and moved to the next pile. This is the 'Peco' method of working. A few bogs use the 'Haku' method whereby the milled peat is loaded into tractor-towed caterpillar-tracked trailers and deposited in a single heap at the edge of the bog adjacent to a railway line. Each year, the network of drainage ditches is deepened by a few inches before the next harvest.
Bord na Móna have developed a number of products which were novel developments in their time. Today peat briquette
s replace sods of raw peat as a domestic fuel. These briquettes consist of shredded peat, compressed to form a virtually smokeless, slow-burning, easily stored and transported fuel. The first milled peat plant run by the Bord was financed with a loan of £500,000 from Guinness
in 1957. Another product developed was peat moss, a combination of peat and soil
for use in the garden - particularly in pot plants. The company also supplies peat to power station
s of the Electricity Supply Board
and its own power station
Edenderry Power
.
until recent years. Bord na Móna has an extensive network, which has carried up to 5 million tonnes annually, and is larger than the main network
(passenger and freight) operated by Iarnród Éireann
. Bord na Móna has one of the largest industrial railways in Europe
.
Permanent railways run from a hundred peat bogs, each covering hundreds of acres, to power stations, briquette factories, moss peat factories and roadside tipplers. On most of the bogs, temporary tracks are laid along the piles of peat the full length of most bogs. Before a pile has been cleared, another temporary line will have been laid a few hundred feet farther along. More than 200 miles of temporary track are laid each year and the Bord have specialist track fabrication workshops, tracklaying machines, and a fleet of dedicated locomotives and rolling stock on hand.
A few bogs are operated by the Haku process, where the peat is collected in one huge heap at the end or side of a bog, requiring only one railway line to serve it.
Part of the Blackwater bog system was also used for tourist trains - the Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway
(colloquially the "Bog Train") for about 12 years. This service ceased permanently on October 2008 as it interfered with the heavy peat traffic heading for West Offaly Power Station. One line of the Blackwater system runs along a section of the former Ballinasloe branch canal. This includes a section where the railway runs through Kylemore Lock.
All 3 of Bord na Mona's old steam locomotives are preserved, one by the Irish Steam Preservation Society
at Stradbally, County Laois
.
Each of the three power stations - West Offaly at Shannonbridge,Co Offaly : Edenderry, Co Offaly : Lough Ree, Lanesborough, Co Longford - is the hub of an extensive rail network carrying heavy traffic. As an example, 12 trains or rakes (locomotive + 16 wagons) were in daily use 16 hours a day at West Offaly in April 2009. Other, generally older locomotives, handle fuel trains, track trainloads of track, ash trains and permanent way gangs.
The two briquette factories at Derrinlough, Co Offaly and Littleton, Co Tipperary each have rail connections to 6 or 8 working bogs. Between 4 and 6 peat trains work on each system, the trains almost always travelling in pairs as they do at the power stations.
Bord na Mona also operate several smaller bog railways delivering the peat to tipplers for transfer by road to factories and power stations.
They can be found at Gilltown, Ummeras, Kilberry, Prosperous and Almhain North - all in Co Kildare, Coolnamona in Co Laois, Derryfadda in Galway, Coolnagun, Ballivor and Kinnegad in Westmeath, Monettia, Bellair and Killaun in Offaly, and Templetouhy on the Tipperary / Kilkenny border.
Locomotives and rolling stock, for many years bought in from outside companies, are now designed and built in-house. New locomotives are invariably 0-4-0DH (diesel hydraulic) or 4wDH (no connecting rods). Most peat wagons are of the bogie type with aluminium bodies to reduce weight, though there were still thirty or so old steel-bodied wagons in use as of 2009. Templetuohy, the Bord's last traditional sod peat operation, uses 4 wheeled open slatted wagons which end tip into waiting lorries.
Power Station near Edenderry
, County Offaly
, had its cooling tower
s demolished on 16 March 2004 as it was no longer viable, followed by Bellacorick
in north County Mayo
on 14 October 2007.
Gabriel D'Arcy said that Bord na Móna intended to seek a partner to develop its renewable energy business.
. It was the first such commercial facility in the Republic and has been in operation since 1993.
Currently producing six megawatts (MW) of electricity at full capacity, the expansion will add 350MW to the farm's output. When it is completed the wind farm will have the potential to produce enough power to supply up to 350,000 homes.
Bord na Móna Environmental Products U.S. provides wastewater management, water reuse, and odor/VOC solutions to municipalities, industry, developer commercial and residential markets throughout North America.
from E.ON in 2006 giving it control of the station that was built in 2000. Bord Na Móna are in the process of increasing the co-fueling of the plant with Bio-Mass. Currently the co-fueling mix is at 7% with a target of 30% by 2015 on target.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Extensive bog
Bog
A bog, quagmire or mire is a wetland that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—often mosses or, in Arctic climates, lichens....
land is exploited in County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, County Longford
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
and County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, mainly the Bog of Allen
Bog of Allen
The Bog of Allen is a large raised bog in the centre of Ireland between the rivers Liffey and Shannon.The bog's 958 square kilometers stretch into County Offaly, County Meath, County Kildare, County Laois, and County Westmeath. Peat is mechanically harvested on a large scale by Bórd na Móna,...
.
History
The company was originally established in 1933 as the Turf Development Board, Limited, to manage this relatively plentiful natural resourceNatural resource
Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
. During WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was necessary to stockpile peat as a fuel, as coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
was in short supply; this cemented the drive for mechanised peat harvesting.
Harvesting
Blanket bog
Blanket bog or blanket mire is an area of peatland, forming where there is a climate of high rainfall and a low level of evapotranspiration, allowing peat to develop not only in wet hollows but over large expanses of undulating ground. The blanketing of the ground with a variable depth of peat...
s. Today, equipment is used to remove tonnes of peat each day at suitable times of year (rainfall is a significant variable in peat harvesting). Almost all the peat now harvested is milled peat, scraped from the surface of the bog by tractor-towed pin millers. The milled peat is ridged into small piles which are then transferred by harvesters into large piles running parallel along the bog. Railways are laid alongside each pile, the pile loaded into trains and the railway lifted and moved to the next pile. This is the 'Peco' method of working. A few bogs use the 'Haku' method whereby the milled peat is loaded into tractor-towed caterpillar-tracked trailers and deposited in a single heap at the edge of the bog adjacent to a railway line. Each year, the network of drainage ditches is deepened by a few inches before the next harvest.
Bord na Móna have developed a number of products which were novel developments in their time. Today peat briquette
Briquette
A briquette is a block of flammable matter used as fuel to start and maintain a fire. Common types of briquettes are charcoal briquettes and biomass briquettes.-Constituents of charcoal briquettes:...
s replace sods of raw peat as a domestic fuel. These briquettes consist of shredded peat, compressed to form a virtually smokeless, slow-burning, easily stored and transported fuel. The first milled peat plant run by the Bord was financed with a loan of £500,000 from Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
in 1957. Another product developed was peat moss, a combination of peat and soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
for use in the garden - particularly in pot plants. The company also supplies peat to power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s of the Electricity Supply Board
Electricity Supply Board
The Electricity Supply Board , is a semi-state electricity company in Ireland. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as a commercial semi-state concern in a liberalised and competitive market...
and its own power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
Edenderry Power
Edenderry Power Station
Edenderry Power Station is a large peat-fired power station near Edenderry, in the Republic of Ireland. The station is capable of generating up to of power. Making it the second largest peat-fired power station in the country. It is owned by Bord na Mona since 2006 and is part of the Powergen...
.
Railways
An extensive network of 3 ft gauge narrow gauge railways is operated by the company in the midlands. Some smaller sections of railway were used in other bog locations, for example in County DonegalCounty Donegal
County Donegal is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Donegal. Donegal County Council is the local authority for the county...
until recent years. Bord na Móna has an extensive network, which has carried up to 5 million tonnes annually, and is larger than the main network
Rail transport in Ireland
Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
(passenger and freight) operated by Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann
Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...
. Bord na Móna has one of the largest industrial railways in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Permanent railways run from a hundred peat bogs, each covering hundreds of acres, to power stations, briquette factories, moss peat factories and roadside tipplers. On most of the bogs, temporary tracks are laid along the piles of peat the full length of most bogs. Before a pile has been cleared, another temporary line will have been laid a few hundred feet farther along. More than 200 miles of temporary track are laid each year and the Bord have specialist track fabrication workshops, tracklaying machines, and a fleet of dedicated locomotives and rolling stock on hand.
A few bogs are operated by the Haku process, where the peat is collected in one huge heap at the end or side of a bog, requiring only one railway line to serve it.
Part of the Blackwater bog system was also used for tourist trains - the Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway
Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway
The Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway is a narrow gauge railway and former tourist attraction in Ireland. Primarily built as an industrial line for hauling newly-cut peat, this 3 ft gauge railway was operated by Bord na Móna and conveys visitors over a 9 km rail journey through Blackwater Bog,...
(colloquially the "Bog Train") for about 12 years. This service ceased permanently on October 2008 as it interfered with the heavy peat traffic heading for West Offaly Power Station. One line of the Blackwater system runs along a section of the former Ballinasloe branch canal. This includes a section where the railway runs through Kylemore Lock.
All 3 of Bord na Mona's old steam locomotives are preserved, one by the Irish Steam Preservation Society
Irish Steam Preservation Society
The Irish Steam Preservation Society was formed in 1965 in Stradbally, in Ireland. Under the auspices of Colonel Kidd, it held the first steam fair in Ireland on St Stephen's Day that year....
at Stradbally, County Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
.
Each of the three power stations - West Offaly at Shannonbridge,Co Offaly : Edenderry, Co Offaly : Lough Ree, Lanesborough, Co Longford - is the hub of an extensive rail network carrying heavy traffic. As an example, 12 trains or rakes (locomotive + 16 wagons) were in daily use 16 hours a day at West Offaly in April 2009. Other, generally older locomotives, handle fuel trains, track trainloads of track, ash trains and permanent way gangs.
The two briquette factories at Derrinlough, Co Offaly and Littleton, Co Tipperary each have rail connections to 6 or 8 working bogs. Between 4 and 6 peat trains work on each system, the trains almost always travelling in pairs as they do at the power stations.
Bord na Mona also operate several smaller bog railways delivering the peat to tipplers for transfer by road to factories and power stations.
They can be found at Gilltown, Ummeras, Kilberry, Prosperous and Almhain North - all in Co Kildare, Coolnamona in Co Laois, Derryfadda in Galway, Coolnagun, Ballivor and Kinnegad in Westmeath, Monettia, Bellair and Killaun in Offaly, and Templetouhy on the Tipperary / Kilkenny border.
Locomotives and rolling stock, for many years bought in from outside companies, are now designed and built in-house. New locomotives are invariably 0-4-0DH (diesel hydraulic) or 4wDH (no connecting rods). Most peat wagons are of the bogie type with aluminium bodies to reduce weight, though there were still thirty or so old steel-bodied wagons in use as of 2009. Templetuohy, the Bord's last traditional sod peat operation, uses 4 wheeled open slatted wagons which end tip into waiting lorries.
Land reclamation
The company is responsible, under government action, for reclaiming spent bogland. These areas of land are usually cleared up, with trees or other suitable vegetation being introduced. Reclaimed bogland is then usually used as a wildlife preserve. Much of the bogs of Ireland have been depleted, it is likely that most peat-fired electricity stations will be closed within 25 years. RhodeRhode, County Offaly
Rhode is a village in County Offaly, Ireland. It is situated on the R400 at its junction with the R441 which leads to Edenderry, the nearest town, located 12 km east of Rhode....
Power Station near Edenderry
Edenderry, County Offaly
Edenderry is a town in the north of County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal passes immediately south of the town through the Bog of Allen and there is a short spur to the town centre....
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, had its cooling tower
Cooling tower
Cooling towers are heat removal devices used to transfer process waste heat to the atmosphere. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or in the case of closed circuit dry cooling towers rely...
s demolished on 16 March 2004 as it was no longer viable, followed by Bellacorick
Bellacorick
Bellacorick or Bellacoric is a townland in County Mayo, Ireland. It comprises an area of . The area is remote, virtually uninhabited blanket bog which was once used mainly for milled peat production. Nowadays, it is a Special Area of Conservation because of the unique nature of the intact blanket...
in north County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
on 14 October 2007.
Future activities
In July 2008, the company announced a €1.4 billion investment plan to expand and change the group's activities over a five-year period. Changes are to be phased in over twenty years and include a combination of energy, waste-management and recovery, and horticulture ventures and will end all exploitation of peat bogs. Chief Executive OfficerChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
Gabriel D'Arcy said that Bord na Móna intended to seek a partner to develop its renewable energy business.
Wind energy
€500 million will be spent developing the group's wind farm at Oweninny in northwest County MayoCounty Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. It was the first such commercial facility in the Republic and has been in operation since 1993.
Currently producing six megawatts (MW) of electricity at full capacity, the expansion will add 350MW to the farm's output. When it is completed the wind farm will have the potential to produce enough power to supply up to 350,000 homes.
Gas power
Oweninny has enough wind to produce power approximately 35% of the time. Flexible, gas-fired facilities known as "peaking plants" - which can be activated and deactivated quickly - will be used to provide energy when there is insufficient wind.Horticulture
Bord na Móna supplies peat moss fertilisers to markets in Ireland and Britain, where its biggest customer is DIY chain B&Q. Since British Government guidelines require manufacturers to reduce the amount of peat used in their products, Bord na Móna intends to capitalise on its system of fertiliser production which converts organic waste from gardens and parks, reducing the need for peat moss.Waste management
Bord na Móna bought the "AES" domestic and commercial waste and recycling collection service in 2007.Bord na Móna Environmental Products U.S. provides wastewater management, water reuse, and odor/VOC solutions to municipalities, industry, developer commercial and residential markets throughout North America.
Edenderry Power
Bord Na Móna bought Edenderry Power StationEdenderry Power Station
Edenderry Power Station is a large peat-fired power station near Edenderry, in the Republic of Ireland. The station is capable of generating up to of power. Making it the second largest peat-fired power station in the country. It is owned by Bord na Mona since 2006 and is part of the Powergen...
from E.ON in 2006 giving it control of the station that was built in 2000. Bord Na Móna are in the process of increasing the co-fueling of the plant with Bio-Mass. Currently the co-fueling mix is at 7% with a target of 30% by 2015 on target.