A wind energy development company has been fined €1,500 over the Meenbog peat slide in 2020.
Planree Limited was handed down the fine at a June sitting of Letterkenny District Court. The company was also ordered to pay for restoration works arising from the major environmental incident.
The bogslide in November 2020 saw hundreds of cubic metres of peat and debris entering a stream and on to the Mournebeg River from the site of the wind farm, near Ballybofey on the Donegal-Tyrone border.
A cross-border investigation into the impact of the landslide continues.
Watch here:
Planree Limited, a subsidiary of Invis Energy, was taken to court in June by the Foyle, Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission, a cross-border agency established under the Good Friday Agreement.
The District Court Judge heard direct evidence from a Loughs Agency Fishery Inspector and, following cross-examination, the company pleaded guilty and was fined €1,500. The company was also ordered to pay legal costs on both sides and reimburse Loughs Agency for capital restoration works completed to date.
The energy from the 19-turbine wind farm was to be bought and used to power Amazon Web Services data centres in Ireland.
The Loughs Agency said the serious incident affected rivers and a fish farm in Northern Ireland, putting the Northern Ireland drinking water abstraction on alert.
“The incident saw thousands of tonnes of peat washed into an internationally protected salmon river,” said a statement.
“Loughs Agency continues to evaluate the environmental impact of the significant peat slide which affected both the Mourne Beg and Derg Rivers. This was recognised as a serious environmental incident. Remediation works to help raise the river’s biological carrying capacity and biodiversity levels are ongoing.”