June 20th, 2019
A Cork-based citizen group against a
planned incinerator in Ringaskiddy has criticised Indaver Ireland’s application
for an emission licence despite a pending court judgment on the validity of planning
permission.
Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe
Environment (CHASE) said that it has been recently informed by Indaver of its
plans to proceed with an application to the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA).
“Indaver are obviously presuming
that their permission will stand in advance of any High Court decision, which
we believe is a premature assumption,” Mary O’Leary, Chairperson of CHASE said.
Ms O’Leary reiterated the group’s
concerns about the health implications of living near an incinerator, reasoning
that scientific studies have shown that “particles
coming out of incinerators are
more toxic than for other combustion processes”.
A new
study carried out by Chinese researchers has revealed that fine
particles emitting from urban waste-to-energy plants can“contain high amount of
toxic compounds and pose a serious threat to environment and human
health”.
The High Court commenced hearing the controversial incinerator case earlier in March with no final judgment issued
yet.
The case brought on by CHASE challenges
An Bord Pleanála’s (ABP) decision to grant
planning permission for an incinerator in Ringaskiddy, Cork Harbour.
The
planning authority gave the green light to Indaver Ireland to build a €160 million waste-to-energy plant
in Cork Harbour last year despite the recommendation of its own inspector not
to grant permission.
The board’s
decision prompted an outcry from local residents, businesses and both local and
national politicians, including such as Tánaiste Simon Coveney, TD. Minister
Coveney has said that he was “disappointed” and “frustrated” by the board’s
decision.
Inspector Derek Daly gave five
grounds for his recommendation to refuse permission, including air quality, air
travel safety, inconsistency with surrounding development in the harbour, lack
of consideration of alternative sites and overdevelopment of the site itself.
The Board, however, stated that the
development was in line with European, national and regional waste management
policy.
Indaver has been trying to build the
multi-million-euro waste-to-energy plant since 2001 and this was its third
application for permission.
The proposed incinerator, which qualifies as Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID), would be capable of transforming 240,000 tonnes of both industrial and household waste into 25 megawatts of electricity per year.
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