Bord na Móna originally applied for approval for the Edenderry power station in Co Offaly until 2030. However, on Friday, An Bord Pleanála granted approval for the next seven years.

After this, the power station must be decommissioned unless an alternative use for the facility has been adopted. The plant is currently powered by a mixture of peat and carbon-neutral biomass.

Last year, Bord na Móna announced that it would completely cease production of peat for electricity generation by 2030. At present, over half of the electricity generated by the company is from renewable resources, Bord na Móna has said.

In a statement on Friday, Bord na Móna welcomed the decision by An Bord Pleanála. “The company will now review the full decision and will not be making any further comment at this time,” the statement read.

Inspections

A report by senior planning inspector Derek Daly that was written in February was released on Friday, which recommended that planning permission should be refused for Edenderry power station.

“It is not clearly demonstrated that the development will not give rise to significant adverse effects on the environment in terms of scale and significance and that can be remediated,” the report states.

However, a further report by Daly in November recommended planning permission after further information on environmental impacts of the plant and also all peat harvesting areas was considered.

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