180 Bord na Mona jobs at risk after High Court ruling in Dublin

The High Court has blocked planning permission to expand a Bord na Móna peat-powered power plant in Edenderry.

The decision resulted from a legal challenge mounted by An Taisce to an earlier Bord Pleanala decision to uphold planning permission first granted by Offaly County Council in 2013.

The court ruled Bord Pleanala had been too narrow in its consideration of the environmental impact of continuing to harvest peat from the bogs servicing the Edenderry power plant which consumes 1.2 million tonnes per year.

The ruling puts 180 jobs at risk and could potentially limit the lifespan of other peat-powered Bord na Mona stations in the Midlands.

However, Judge Michael White granted a six-month delay on the court order until the end of April 2016 to allow time for Bord Pleanala to decide on a new planning application involving a wider environmental impact assessment.

The decision by Mr Justice White represents a major victory for An Taisce but is an enormous worry for Bord Na Móna, which also operates two other turf-burning power plants in the Midlands on which planning permission runs out in 2019.