Development of the Irish Peat Fuel Industry

. Over the past three decades peat (or turf) production in Ireland has been transformed from a rudimentary hand‐won operation to a highly mechanized and commercially profitable national industry. Through a pragmatic admixture of government policy‐making and technological advancement 130,000 acres of bogland have been converted into a major fuel production complex. Peat has captured a large share of the domestic solid fuel market, both rural and urban, and accounts for one‐quarter of the nation's electricity output. Owing to recent international energy shortages and inflated fuel import costs, the economic viability of peat fuel has been greatly enhanced. As a consequence, a major expansion program has been initiated. Nascent recognition of the new “peat economics” has stimulated interest in other countries and prompted serious re‐examination of long‐neglected boglands. Apart from providing a valuable source of indigenous energy, the industry has made appreciable social and economic contributions, particularly in terms of buttressing balance of payments and generating employment in rural districts.