£113m waste burning plan for Dublin

THE Government is backing the construction of a £113 million incinerator on an ESB owned site in Co Dublin which would have the capacity to process 490,000 tonnes of waste a year, or half of all the city's domestic refuse.

The plant is described as a "waste to energy facility" which will generate 30 megawatts of electricity, to be fed into the national grid. Such is the sensitivity of the issue that the word "incinerator" is not mentioned anywhere in the press release on the project.

It would be located on a site adjoining the ESB's central distribution depot at Goddamendy, northwest of Blanchardstown, and operated by a consortium consisting of Foster Wheeler Power Systems Inc, of New Jersey, in partnership with the ESB.

A statement from the Department of Energy described Foster Wheeler as "one of the world's leading experts in this field, operating similar facilities in New Jersey and Chicago".

The US company would own 75 per cent of the Dublin plant, with the ESB taking the rest. Together, they won a Department of Energy competitive tender for alternative energy projects, conducted by an independent assessor - ETSU, a British consultancy group.

Alternative energy projects are expected to account for 10 per cent of the Republic's electricity capacity by 2000.

It is anticipated that the combined effect of all of the alternative energy projects - including the proposed incinerator - would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 250,000 tonnes per annum and save £25 million on the annual bill for imported oil.

The Minister of State for Energy, Mr Emmet Stagg, said the Goddamendy plant would create 75 jobs as well as up to 1,500 jobs during construction. But first, it would have to be approved by Fingal County Council and by the Environmental Protection Agency.

He denied it was an incinerator as such. "The only difference between this and a normal power station is the fuel. Instead of using turf, coal, oil or gas, we'll be using non-hazardous household waste. It's the first serious attempt to deal with the waste problem from an energy viewpoint."

Asked about emissions from the plant, particularly of carcinogenic dioxins, the Minister said this would be determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, which he presumed would not permit any dangerous emissions. "It's the business of he promoters to get that licence.

Environmentalists have condemned the proposal, claiming it would pose a health risk. Greenpeace said it could be expected to draw strong local opposition, while the former Green Party Lord Mayor of Dublin, Mr John Gormley, said the emphasis should be on minimising waste.