Monaghan Mushrooms, the country’s largest producer of mushrooms, has signed a renewable electricity deal with Irish energy supplier Vayu Energy valued at €2.8m per annum. As part of a direct Power Purchase Agreement, Vayu will supply Monaghan Mushrooms with 100% green electricity generated from a 10-turbine wind farm located in West Cork. With a total annual production capacity of 25 GWh (enough to power 5,500 houses a year) the electricity generated will be used to supply the company’s six sites across counties Monaghan, Mayo and Kildare.
Since it was established in 1981, Monaghan Mushrooms has grown to become one of the biggest mushroom producers in the world and now employees 3,500 people worldwide, serving some of the largest international retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury and ASDA. Headquartered in Tyholland, Co. Monaghan, the company’s Irish operations grow and harvest over 13 million kgs of mushrooms each year, of which 95% is exported to overseas markets such as the UK, France and the Netherlands. The company also produces some 150,000 tonnes of environmentally sustainable mushroom compost each year which is sold to mushroom growers throughout Ireland.
According to Paul Wilson, Chief Operations Officer, Monaghan Mushrooms, access to fully traceable renewable energy was a critical consideration for Monaghan Mushrooms in choosing to partner with Vayu, which is the only energy company in Ireland to supply all its customers with electricity 100% attributed to renewable sources. He notes that, as part of the Bord Bía Origin Green programme, the company strives to minimise its impact on the environment across all aspects of its business through initiatives targetting renewable energy, reduced emissions, energy efficiency, recycling, biodiversity and integrated crop management.
Mr Wilson says: “Environmental sustainability is at the heart of all our activities as a food producer, both here in Ireland and across our international operations. Our partnership with Vayu will help us reduce our environmental footprint while managing our energy procurement more effectively and reducing our energy costs. Not only does the wind power deal provide us with direct access to sustainable electricity at a fixed price, but we are partnering with a Company that has demonstrated a deep understanding and expertise of Ireland’s energy market.”
Barry Murphy, energy specialist at Vayu states that green electricity goes hand-in-hand with cost competitiveness as businesses seek more effective ways to manage their energy procurement and reduce overall energy consumption. He says: “As more businesses focus on environmental sustainability, access to competitively priced renewable energy is becoming an increasingly important factor for Irish companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprint. The good news is that, as a country, we have an abundant supply of renewable energy resources and only a fraction of these have been harnessed to date, so there is enormous potential for further development.”