Fuel crop worth €100 per acre to the grower

A WILLOW processing unit being built at Balrath, Co Meath, will require 250 hectares of willow for harvesting each year, for which about €60 per tonne (dried) will be offered.

One hectare of willows, harvested at 25% moisture, can produce 13 tonnes of chips, equivalent in energy terms to 4,500 litres of home heating oil, which now costs about €4,000.

Less than 1½ acres would be sufficient to replace heating oil for the average home.