Bord na Móna to spend €1.2bn

Bord na Móna is to invest €1.2bn on expanding its services over the next 13 years, with the expenditure going towards strengthening its wind and solar energy, biomass and fuels interests.

More than €500,000 of that has already been earmarked for recently-announced solar energy plans. The renewable energy-focused semi-state utility unveiled, in April, a joint-venture plan with the ESB to develop four solar energy farms in Roscommon, Offaly and Kildare — to be operational by 2019 — to power 150,000 homes from 1% of the company’s landbank.

Ongoing funding will also be pumped into Bord na Móna’s rapidly growing wind energy business with construction pending on new projects in counties Mayo and Longford and a planning application being readied for a wind farm in co Offaly.