Bord na Móna
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| Public - Semi-State Company | |
| Founded | Ireland (1946) |
| Headquarters | Newbridge, County Kildare, Ireland |
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Key people
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Mike Quinn (CEO) |
| Revenue |
 € 432.8 Million (2016) |
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Number of employees
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2,240 (2016) |
| Divisions |
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| Website | www.bordnamona.ie |
Bord na Móna (Irish pronunciation: [bˠoːɾˠd̪ˠ nə mˠoːn̪ˠə] — English: Peat Board), is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company began developing the peatlands of Ireland with the aim to provide economic benefit for Irish Midland communities and achieve security of energy supply for the recently formed Irish Republic. The development of peatlands involved the mechanised harvesting of peat, which took place primarily in the Midlands of Ireland.
Over the years, Bord na Móna has expanded and diversified its portfolio of businesses to include biomass procurement and supply, power generation (peat based and renewable), waste recovery, domestic fuel products and professional and consumer horticulture products. In 2015, the company announced that the harvesting of peat for power generation is to be "phased out" by 2030, at which point the company would complete its transition to new sustainable businesses located across its bogs and landholding.
The new sustainable businesses and activities located across Bord na Móna’s bogs are said to include; renewable energy development, domestic fuels, biomass development, waste recovery, horticulture, eco-tourism, and community amenities. It is worth noting that although Bord na Móna will cease harvesting vast amounts of peat to supply power plants, they will continue to harvest peat for their Horticulture and Fuels businesses.
Bord na Móna was originally established in 1933 as the Turf Development Board, Limited. The reason for the formation of the Turf Development Board was "to develop and improve the Turf Industry..." and "...to operate and drain bogs...". Later, in 1946 the Turf Development Board changed its name to Bord na Móna under the Turf Development Act of 1946. This move saw a change in status from that of a limited liability company to a statutory company as well as some significant changes in strategy and operations.
World War II had a substantial impact on the development of Ireland's peat industry and the foundation of Bord na Móna in 1946. During the war, it was necessary to stockpile peat as a fuel given that coal was in short supply. This was due to a sharp reduction in imports and because the coal being imported was of poor quality. World War II resulted in the implementation of a number of emergency fuel schemes with a particular focus on peat as fuel for the people of Ireland, both inside and outside of traditional turf areas. It is estimated that before the war the annual production of turf per year was three million tons. The war effort added two million tons a year to this. The use of peat as a fuel source during World War II reinforced the Government's commitment to develop Ireland's bogs as an indigenous source of energy.
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Wikipedia