Offaly briquette factory closure 'a dark day' for the region
THE announcement of the closure of Derrinlough briquette factory was a shock and it will be a “dark day” for the region when the factory no longer operates local councillors have stated.
Bord na Móna announced on Friday that it is to cease production at Derrinlough on June 1.
The semi state company had previously informed the 62 Derrinlough workers that operations were due to wind down by the end of the year, but this date was suddenly and dramatically brought forward on Friday. Unions are currently engaging with management to discuss the redeployment of the staff.
Cllr Peter Ormond told Monday afternoon's Council meeting that this was history repeating itself, “in the sense that whatever date Bord na Móna mention they inevitably bring it forward.”
Cllr Ormond said the reasons for the closure, as well as the general decarbonisation policy, included the poor quality of the remaining peat in storage and the high cost of maintaining the Derrinlough plant in its current form.
He said the news will result in the loss of jobs and in fuel poverty. “This is going to be a sudden change for people and it will badly affect our economy in Offaly.
“Now if you drive from Kennedy's Cross to Ferbane and look at the vast region all around you will see a region, covering West and South Offaly, which has been blighted by the decarbonisation programme. A huge vacuum has been created by the decarbonisation programme in the whole region, a vacuum of unemployment. It was once an area which had a very positive relationship with Bord na Móna because the company generated thousands of jobs; but now those jobs have gone and they haven't been replaced.”
The councillor said the SEAI grants are very welcome but installing solar panels or retrofitting is too costly for many people. “Many people would like to get away from using solid fuel,” he pointed out, “but it is too costly to do so.”
The councillor said Just Transition funding will be welcome and will provide possibilities but people are still very worried.
“The unions," he added, "say the Derrinlough staff will be redeployed but that could mean having to travel long distances to get employment.”
Cllr Eamon Dooley pointed out that the councillors 'don't want to hear any more spin.
"We have been fed the line for years that Just Transition will provide new jobs in Offaly, to replace the lost Bord na Móna jobs but I have yet to see any new jobs. The unions are being told that the Derrinlough staff will be redeployed. Redeployed is the wrong word. The real word is displacement. The seasonal workers are going to lose out, that's for sure. A few years ago we heard Bord na Móna telling us about all sorts of job creation enterprises such as Fish Farms. It was nonsense. None of it has come to pass. No more spin, please. What we want is proper planning and action.”
The councillor said he's also fed up with meaningless governmental spin. For example, thousands of Euros was promised for Ferbane Food Campus but none of it transpired.
Cllr Leahy pointed out that initially Bord na Móna said Derrinlough would close in 2030.
“That was brought forward to 2025, 2024 and now all of a sudden to 2023. The level of engagement by Bord na Móna with us is terrible. We are making phone calls to the company but are getting no answers from management. We have supported their green energy projects but they won't give us the courtesy of proper engagement. Redeployment is really divide and conquer. All they are doing is winding things down. Redeployment is just spin.
“Derrinlough is a unique site. We should get Enterprise Ireland interested in it. Surely a Foreign Direct Investment company would be interested in it. We can't let this go the same way as Shannonbridge Power Station. For example it could become a major factory for modular homes.”
Cllr John Clendennen said it was disappointing to find ourselves in this situation “and perhaps I was a bit naive about Bord na Móna's intentions, about their plans, none of which have transpired. Now we are in a state of total despair. There are no words to describe how bad the relationship between the County Council and Bord na Móna now is. It's obvious that the company is simply not listening to companies and is not engaging with them. For example we asked them how large their remaining stocks of peat are and we got no answer. They are keeping us completely in the dark.
“In the next period we are going to blow Shannonbridge Power Station up. It will be a shocking waste.”
The councillor said the Ferbane cooling towers should have been retained, not blown up, to provide a viewing point over the landscape.
“Once these iconic buildings are gone, they are gone for ever.
“We all agree with saving the planet and we all agree with going the alternative route, but in the process we must protect communities. There is no point robbing Peter to pay Paul. Green is great but the company needs to rethink its plans for Offaly. They should renew their commitment to Offaly. The announcement of the closure of Derrinlough is another dark day for Offaly.”
Cllr John Carroll agreed with the councillors.
“I hope the unions and the workers get more luck than we did when dealing with the company. We can't cut turf and now briquettes will be gone. Are we going to start importing briquettes from abroad? Or are we going to turn to coal? Because we all know that the retrofitting programme is too costly for many people. We have tried to engage positively with the company over the last several years but they have given us a lot of pie in the sky, a lot of empty promises, empty promises such as Fish Farms. Workers who have been loyal for many years are now being redeployed (which means being pushed here and there, perhaps on long commutes) and some are being made redundant. It is very disappointing for the Birr region because the factory provided a lot of jobs. The company today is looking purely at profits and is not thinking of communities. Will Derrinlough become derelict? Is the company prepared to deal with third parties? We need a meeting with the company during which we will ask them to stop the spin and be honest with us.”
Cllr Seán O'Brien said it's a very serious issue. “This seems to me to have been well planned in advance. We are in a state of desperation. We don't know what is going to happen next. The company has too much power and is not giving due consideration to our communities. It is time for Ministers to step up. Minister Eamon Ryan promised to talk to the company. What happened with that? This is a massive land resource and its mismanagement is having an enormous effect on Offaly.
“Now they are going to blow Shannonbridge Power Station and Derrinlough Briquette Factory up in the air and will try and make us forget the buildings ever existed. A few years ago we said the decarbonisation project would be our biggest challenge and so it has turned out to be."
Cllr Danny Owens said he didn't think a meeting with Bord na Móna would achieve much, “but we should hold it anyway and see the whites of their eyes. I think it's important Derrinlough is retained and not knocked.”
Cllr Declan Harvey pointed out that the Council has supported Bord na Móna for many years when it came to their wind farms. “They are not being honest with us and are filling us with waffle. Is redeployment more waffle? They promise the moon, sun and stars and do nothing. Why are they playing hardball with us? What is happening here is ridiculous.”
Cllr Ken Smollen said the government's decarbonisation programme has been a very unfair process for Offaly. “Bord na Móna have gone from being the valued gamekeepers of our vast land resource to in fact being the poachers. The seasonal workers are going to be hit very hard. 43% of people in Offaly depend on solid fuel. Retrofitting is too expensive for many. A lot of people don't have the thousands of Euros necessary to match the grant funding.”
Cllr Tony McCormack, chairing the meeting, said the Council will write to Bord na Móna seeking a meeting.
Separately, Deputy Barry Cowen said the decommissioning of the plant will take a couple of months.