Dr. John MacNamara:

On rewetting and the area of the bogs, a total of 55,000 ha is probably involved in peat extraction for power stations, historically at least. It is approximately 60% of the Bord na Móna land bank.

On the carbon savings that would be achieved by the rewetting, it is not a simple answer. A variety of land banks and peatlands are at different stages. Some have been cut over, some have been cut away, while others are in pristine condition in the high bog areas that remain. Even the scientists and experts doing the work regularly will shy away from stating a definitive number.