Bid to increase size of controversial waste incinerator

A waste management company is to lodge a new planning application seeking to increase the size of a controversial incineration plant being built in Co Meath, it emerged today.

Indaver Ireland is looking to increase the capacity of its licence for a waste-to-energy facility at the 25-acre site at Carranstown, near Duleek, to deal with 150,000 to 200,000 tonnes of waste a year.

“In the last five years there have been significant developments in waste management in the region. This has been reflected in the recently published Proposed Replacement Waste Management Plan for the north east region,” Jackie Keaney, project manager with Indaver Ireland, said.

Groups including Friends of the Earth, the Green Party, Labour Party and the Meath-based No Incineration Alliance criticised the original granting of the licence.

The waste management company was granted approval from An Bord Pleanala for the original planning application for the incinerator in March 2003.

The company first sought approval to develop an incinerator in the region over five years ago, and last November the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a waste licence for the facility to process a maximum of 150,000 tonnes of municipal waste a year at the Carranstown site.

The proposed replacement waste management plan for the north east region of the country outlines targets of 43% recycling, 39% energy recovery and 18% landfill for the region.

The new planning application which will be lodged with Meath County Council will be for a 70MW incinerator with a multi-stage gas cleaning system.

“The facility will treat 150,000 to 200,000 tonnes of municipal, industrial and other combustible waste annually and will not be capable of operating in excess of 200,000 tonnes of waste per annum,” said Ms Keaney.

The project manager said the facility would be operated to the EU Directive and EPA licence limits and the layout of the facility would be redesigned and relocated towards the back of the site to ease the visual impact.

Ms Keaney said the main benefits of the proposed development would be a 90% reduction in the volume of waste going to landfill and the generation of 13MW of electricity, which is enough to power over 19,000 homes annually.

The company said it would be holding open days in the Boyne Valley Hotel during January to give the public an opportunity to access further information on the proposal and share their views on the proposal.

“Everybody who has expressed an interest in our project and registered with us over the last five years has received by post an information booklet outlining the changes we propose to make to the waste management facility,” Ms Keaney said.