Major Bord na Mona Biogas plant approved in Laois

Bord na Móna Powergen Ltd has been granted permission to build a major renewable gas facility in Portlaoise. 

An Bord Pleanala upheld Laois County Council’s decision to grant planning permission to the proposed development on a section of the Cúil na Móna cutaway bog near Junction 18 off the M7 motorway in Portlaoise. The board attached 19 revised conditions to the ten year planning permission for the facility within the townland of Clonboyne and Clonkeen.  

The large development spans 17 hectares and consists of an anaerobic digester capable of taking 80,000 tonnes of raw material annually, a substation, weighbridge, a 2,700 sq mtr reception building. 

The digestion process will produce a raw biogas which will be upgraded to biomethane (CH4) for injection into the local natural gas network. 

The initial plan for the development, which attracted over 100 submissions, was approved by Laois County Council but appealed to An Bord Pleanala.    

The ten year permission for the Renewable Gas Facility requires an Industrial Emission Licence from the EPA. An Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and Natura Impact Statement (NIS) accompanied the planning application.

The proposed development met with some local opposition over concerns about the impact of the facility on the local area. Objectors erected the sign below to highlight their concern. 

The site will turn raw materials such as animal byproducts  and brown waste into gas and An Bord Pleanala has applied a number of conditions to the proposal.  The maximum annual feedstock of 80,000 tonnes will have to be brought to the site by road. An Board Pleanala has said planning can only go ahead on condition the deliveries are confined to between 8am and 6.30pm from Monday to Friday and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. Bord na Mona can deviate from these times only in exceptional circumstances and only with prior written consent from Laois County Council. 

The site will also undergo monitoring and Laois County Council will be provided with an annual report detailing the activities at the site. The report will have to detail the volume of raw materials used, the types of raw materials and the volume and weight of the gas produced at the plant. 

An Bord Pleanala also requires an Bord na Mona to employ a qualified archaeologist to monitor all preserve and record all archaeological materials and features while the work is taking place.