Clare County Council yesterday granted the ESB planning permission for its €200 million plan to carry out an environmental clean- up of its coal-burning Moneypoint power station in Co Clare.
The clean-up is necessary to allow the station operate past 2008 in order to comply with a licence granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requiring that pollution levels be drastically cut at the station, which supplies the State with one quarter of its electricity.
Currently, Moneypoint emits 40,000 tonnes of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) and 22,000 tonnes of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) into the atmosphere each year and the ESB is to reduce emissions by 80 per cent by 2008. However, the process to reduce the SO2 and NOx gases will give rise to an increase in 126,000 tonnes of greenhouses gases being emitted from Moneypoint each year - already the 920MW station is Ireland's single largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions with five million tonnes of CO2 released per annum.
As a result of the increase in CO2 emissions, An Taisce opposed the plan claiming that the project contravenes the country's National Climate Change policy.
An Taisce chairman, Mr Michael Smith said yesterday that it was considering appealing the decision to An Bord Pleanála.
He said: "If we appeal, it will be because the decision drives a coach and horses through the specific commitments in the Government's climate change strategy to convert Moneypoint to natural gas to reduce our CO2 emissions."
In its decision to grant planning, the council stated that the plan would not seriously injure the amenities of the area and is in accordance with the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.
The council's decision did not adjudicate on the environmental issues relating to the development, stating that these will be dealt with by the EPA in its review of the ESB's Integrated Pollution Control for the station.
The council's decision was yesterday welcomed in west Clare where half the 376 people employed at Moneypoint are from the Kilrush area.
Along with the jobs, Moneypoint is also the largest contributor to the council's rates base and last year accounted for 42 per cent of its rates income paying over €9.5 million.
Cllr Tom Prenderville (FF) said: "People in west Clare will be very happy and excited at the decision. There isn't a sporting or social organisation in west Clare that hasn't benefited from the presence of Moneypoint.
A spokesman for the ESB declined to comment on the decision yesterday stating it had yet to analyse the conditions related to the grant of permission.