Expansion of Meath incinerator approved

A plan to expand the incinerator at Duleek, Co Meath, has been approved by An Bord Pleanála.

Indaver Ireland had applied to increase its plant in Carranstown by one-third, enabling it to take 200,000 tonnes of waste a year, rather than the current total of 150,000.

Today's decision means the site will be enlarged by one-quarter, and the height of the chimney stack will increase from 40 to 65 metres.

Crucially, the decision, which has 31 conditions, allows for waste to be taken from regions outside the north east counties of Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan.

This means waste from Dublin could be incinerated in Meath in accordance with the EU's "proximity principle" which specifies that all forms of waste should be treated as close as possible to its source.

In its submission to An Bord Pleanála, Indaver said the extra capacity will be more energy efficient and be able to generate electricity for 19,000 homes.

The No Incineration Alliance, an umbrella group of opponents to incineration, had appealed the decision by Meath County Council to An Bord Pleanála.

The NIA said it was disappointed by the decision but insisted it would continue to oppose incineration and promote sustainable waste management.

Spokeswoman Áine Walsh said: "The conditions state that Indaver are allowed take waste from outside the north east. Available figures indicate that the north east already has in excess of 48 per cent more licenced landfill capacity than it requires, therefore we'd have to deduce that Indaver propose to make Meath the dumping ground for Dublin."

"At that time there was a proposal for eight incinerators in Ireland, through lobbying and the introduction of some good environmental policy this seems to have shrunk to two. We'll continue to campaign to have this number dissolved to zero," she added.

The Carranstown plant has now been approved by An Bord Pleanála, the High Court and Supreme Court and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Indaver said it has been arguably the most scrutinised planning proposal in the history of the State.

Managing director John Ahern welcomed today's ruling and said construction could begin early next year. "This will make it one of the few projects which will be operational by 2010, and able to contribute to meeting this requirement," he said.

Indaver also claimed there is an oversupply of low-cost landfill which is distorting the waste market and preventing the development of alternatives.

Mr Ahern warned: "Uncertainty exists in the Irish waste market and we are continuing to assess proposed changes in landfill diversion policy before making the final decision to proceed."

Last week, the Green Party denied that the acceptance by Minister for the Environment John Gormley that the country may need two incinerators was a U-turn on party policy.

Mr Gormley said that Ireland requires no more than two incinerators to deal with waste that could not be recycled or processed, rather than the eight that are planned.

Labour Party senator from Meath East Dominic Hannigan today claimed An Bord Pleanála had now given Indaver "carte blanche to burn rubbish" not just from Meath and its neighbouring counties, but also from other regions.

"In other words, Meath is set to become the dumping ground for Dublin," Mr Hannigan said.

"Locals in the immediate vicinity have genuine concerns over the emissions that will come out of this plant, and also over the visual amenity in what is a still a quiet rural area," he said.

Green party councillor for Louth Mark Dearey condemned the An Bord Pleanála decision.

"I find it staggering that this dinosaur technology and outmoded thinking has been given the green light today by the Bord," he said.

"Since going into Government the Green Party has succeeded in changing the direction away from incineration and into sustainable waste recovery methods and it is our intention to maintain this course despite today's decision."

Sinn Féin environment spokesman Martin Ferris said the Minister for the Environment was taking a "NIMBY" (not in my back yard) approach to incineration.

He said it is now "quite clear" the Minister was talking about the incinerators in Meath and Cork, and not the one in his own constituency, when he spoke last week of the state needing to burn 400,000 tonnes of rubbish as this will now be the combined capacity of the Meath and Cork plants as a result of today's decision.

"Indaver Ireland has now reneged on the two undertakings it agreed to in its original application to build the incinerator. These were that they would not seek to increase capacity and that they would only take waste from the north east of the State. This application should have been thrown out on this basis," Mr Ferris said.

An Bord Pleanála is still to rule the proposed Poolbeg incinerator in Dublin's Ringsend is designed to deal with over 700,000 tonnes of waste.