Bord na Móna has launched a new landfill-gas power plant that will generate enough electricity to power 8,500 homes.

Minister for the Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Pat Rabbitte TD, officially launched the innovative new Landfill Gas Power Plant at Drehid, Co Kildare. The resource recovery project will use landfill gas from the Drehid site, using a household waste byproduct to produce 5.6 megawatts of renewable power – enough to power 8,500 homes.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Rabbitte said: "This marks a significant step in the delivery of sustainable power sources in Ireland. I am delighted that a company like Bord na Móna, demonstrating its prowess in resource recovery, is producing homegrown, renewable energy supplies for the Irish grid."

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The new 'waste to energy' project is an expansion of Bord na Móna's portfolio of power generation assets and will turn waste in to energy at the state of the art landfill site in Drehid, Co. Kildare. A leading benefit of using landfill gas for the provision of electricity is its ability to deliver stable, continuous supplies of electricity to the power grid. The plant burns 6,000 tonnes of methane and converts it to carbon dioxide and water, which, if left untreated would have a greenhouse gas impact of 126,000 tonnes of CO2. It also displaces the equivalent amount of carbon sourced power on the grid as it is carbon neutral.

Gabriel D'Arcy, CEO Bord na Móna, said: "Bord na Móna has invested heavily in new and innovative ways of capitalising on all our resources to create further value and uses. Waste recovery fits neatly with our 'Contract with Nature' vision that looks to develop business operations that are sustainable environmentally and economically. This gas power plant is the result of a transformation in the way we look at spent materials, turning household waste into green energy that in turn helps create jobs and a sustainable electricity supply."

(CD)