Opponents challenge independence of incinerator study

Opponents of a controversial incinerator today questioned the independence of a study by a leading think-tank backing the scheme.

The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) argued there was enough rubbish in Dublin to make the planned Poolbeg burner viable despite claims from Environment Minister John Gormley it is too big.

Local residents campaigning against the project suggested the study was biased because it was commissioned by Dublin City Council which is pushing for the incinerator.

Frances Corr, Combined Residents Against Incineration (CRAI), said: “Our initial thinking was that this was not an independent report.

“It was commissioned by Dublin City Council and there was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between themselves and Dublin City Council.”

But one of the authors of the ESRI study refuted the claim, insisting the conclusions were their own and the study drew on previous research.

Paul Gorecki, ESRI research professor, said: “I think that the work we’ve done is based on a lot of previous work.

“It’s not as though this work has solely been done for Dublin City Council.

“We were given a broad mandate and it draws on existing research, and the views are our views.”

The Poolbeg waste-to-energy incinerator was controversially granted planning permission in 2007 and will burn 600,000 tonnes of rubbish a year. It will be big enough to power 50,000 homes a year.

Mr Gormley faced down staunch criticism from local residents and politicians after the project was granted a licence in late 2008, claiming he was opposed but could not intervene in the planning process.

But he has said it should be halved in capacity because there is not enough waste to fulfil the contract with the private consortium, Covanta Europe Engineering Ltd.

But ESRI report – 'An Economic Approach to Municipal Waste Management Policy in Ireland' – contradicted the Minister’s assessment and claimed it will be economically viable.

Mr Gorecki added: “The work that we’ve done suggests that there’ll be more than enough waste to satisfy the 600,000 tonne capacity of the Poolbeg incinerator.”

The report said household and commercial waste is set to grow by around 4% a year.

Ms Corr claimed it was not the case there would be enough rubbish as private waste operators would favour Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) for waste disposal.

Covanta will give a press briefing on the proposed plant tomorrow.

The Irish Waste Management Association (IWMA) said the report’s predictions for waste growth, supporting the need for incineration in Dublin, are wrong.

Conor Walsh, from SLR Consulting who compiled a report on the issue for the IWMA, said the research was deeply flawed.

“The ESRI has serious questions to answer about the data used in this report and the assumptions made regarding the level of waste that will be available for the Poolbeg incinerator,” Mr Walsh said.

“The figures for waste growth are wrong. The figures for recycling are highly questionable.”

Mr Walsh questioned the ESRI figure of a 4% increase a year in household waste from 2012.

He claimed a Dublin City Council report already showed domestic rubbish only increased by 0.65% a year during the Celtic Tiger boom years.