Emission levels from the proposed hazardous waste incinerator will be substantially below the values set in an EU directive, it was claimed by Indaver Ireland yesterday during a closing submission to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing.
Brendan Slattery of Indaver Ireland said the emission limit values set in the EPA's draft waste licence did not exceed the EU limits and none of the objectors had suggested that the typical operation of the plant will result in the limits being exceeded.
Indaver's evidence suggested the emissions would be well below the EU limits and this means that the operation of the plant in accordance with the limits set in the waste draft licence "would not, to a significant extent, endanger human health or harm the environment".
He also said that opponents of the plant had wrongly interpreted World Health Organisation guidelines on suitable site selections as being some rigid "statutory formula" which excludes certain areas. This was not the the case, he added.
Mr Slattery said the site location at Ringaskiddy for the 100,000-tonne hazardous waste incinerator and a 100,000-tonne municipal waste incinerator was "compatible with the relevant requirements of the World Health Organisation guidelines".
He reiterated Indaver Ireland general manager John Ahern's response to fears of the site flooding or being eroded when he pointed out that the site could easily be protected by engineered solutions just as the pharmaceutical plants, which are closer to the sea, had done.
Mr Slattery also said the Health and Safety Authority had examined the site and studied Indaver Ireland's hazard identification report and had been satisfied that there were "no grounds for rejecting this proposed development".
And he also cited the testimony of Indaver Ireland site manager Conor Jones that significant abatement measures will be in place at the site to prevent and minimise fugitive emissions from both the incinerators and the waste transfer station.
Indaver Ireland is experienced in waste handling, classification and dispatch and there would be no difficulty with waste sampling and indentification. The only difference to Indaver's current practice is that rather than exporting waste for incineration, it will be incinerated here.
He said Ireland must comply with planned EU regulations which require each country to dispose of waste as close as possible to the source and to deal with its own waste rather than exporting it for disposal abroad.