Indaver to seek larger incinerator in Meath

Indaver Ireland said today it intends to reapply to Meath County Council seeking amendments to its licence to build a controversial incineration plant at Duleek.

The company wants to be allowed to process 33 per cent more waste than is allowed for under the terms of a licence it was granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last November.

The EPA gave Indaver permission to process a maximum of 150,000 tonnes of municipal waste per annum, subject to strict conditions, at an incineration facility on a 25-acre site at Carranstown, near Duleek.

But Indaver said today it would be seeking permission to build a waste-to-energy plant with a capacity of up to 200,000 tonnes per annum.

The company argued today the waste processing needs of the North West region had grown hugely since it first announced its plans to build the plant in 2000.

It said the 150,000-tonne limit would be insufficient to meet the need and that a larger incinerator was required.

Jackie Keaney, project manager of Indaver Ireland, said the new facility would be capable of treating 150,000 to 200,000 tonnes of municipal, industrial and other combustible waste annually.

"It will be operated to EU Directive and EPA licence limits ensuring that there will be no negative impact on public health or the environment," she insisted. "The layout of the facility will be redesigned and relocated towards the back of the site to mitigate visual impact."

Ms Keaney said the larger plant would mean a 90 per cent reduction in the volume of waste going to landfill in the region. It would also produce enough electricity each year to power over 19,000 homes.

The EPA's decision to grant Indaver the initial licence was criticised by the Meath-based No Incineration Alliance, Friends of the Earth, the Green Party and the Labour Party.

In November 2004, the High Court rejected a challenge by a Duleek man to the granting of planning permission for the incinerator by An Bord Pleanála.

However, the trial judge asked the Supreme Court to make a final determination on an important point of law raised in the case and likely to affect similar environmental cases. That determination has yet to be revealed.

Indaver said it would be holding a number of open days in the Boyne Valley Hotel in the coming weeks that the public is invited to attend.