'Categoric assurance' that briquettes will continue for sale despite smoky coal ban

Bord Na Móna expects its peat briquettes to continue to be allowed for sale for the next number of years, Deputy Barry Cowen has confirmed. 

The Fianna Fáil TD said he spoke to Bord na Móna who reassured him that peat briquettes would pass scientific tests, to allow them to continue to sold. 

He said he had been given "categoric assurance" on this. 

Bord na Móna previously said that its briquettes will comply with the ten grams per hour emissions rate.

There was speculation that a ban on smoky coal would also mean that peat briquettes would not be able to be sold. 

Environment Minister Eamon Ryan indicated to the Dáil this week that peat briquettes could be included in a ban on smoky fuels from next September if they are found to produce excess pollution.

Eamon Ryan said the Government would have to follow the science on smoky fuels and it must be straight about that.

However, Bord na Móna has since assured Deputy Cowen that their briquettes will remain compliant with existing and impending regulations. 

Spoke with BnM earlier.Categoric assurance the infamous ‘peat briquette’,as expected,is & will remain compliant with existing or impending regs.Continued production to 2024 as originally planned.Min Ryan’s words yesterday could’ve been viewed as the opposite but NOT the case ! pic.twitter.com/3oQMTqx1f0

— Barry Cowen (@CowenBarry) May 6, 2022

This means that production of peat briquettes will continue until 2024, as originally planned. 

The semi-state company has one remaining briquette factory in Derrinlough, Co Offaly which will continue to manufacture until 2024.

Bord na Móna today formally ended all peat harvesting on its lands as part of its ‘brown to green’ strategy in January, 2021.