Green energy plant firm to submit new application

A Kells businessman who has just announced the creation of 35 jobs at a new manufacturing facility at the Kells Business Park, has also vowed to push ahead with proposals for a new green energy production plant at Balrath, Kells, which has the potential to create several hundred Meath jobs. Alan Fox of HDS Energy, the local company which has just received planning permission for a new manufacturing plant at Loyd, Kells, has indicated that his firm will be submitting a new planning application for the green energy plant at Balrath within the next fortnight. HDS Energy currently employs 55 people at the Kells Business Park, manufacturing industrial boilers, and has recently won the €32 million contract to build a new bio-energy plant at Rhode, Co Offaly, for Biotricity. The company is designing another facility in Letterkenny, Co Donegal. HDS has received planning permission for a new facility adjacent to their existing plant at Kells Business Park, which will give it increased manufacturing capacity to supply these new projects. HDS Energy is also the main investor in proposals for a wood briquette and bio-energy plant at Balrath, outside Kells. While planning permission for this project was refused last week by Bord Pleanala on the grounds of the inadequacy of the local road network, the company says it is determined to press ahead with the project. HDS Energy has formed a special purpose company, Shamrock Renewable Fuels, for the purpose of constructing the proposed project at Balrath. Well-known local business, Farrelly Brothers of Carnaross, is also involved with the project and will supply home-grown biomass crops, such as willow, to the facility on long-term contracts. Farrelly Brothers will also supply willow to the Biotricity plant at Rhode. The planning board issued a direction along with last week's decision, in which it said planning should be refused because of the severe inadequacies of the existing acess, but stated that the board otherwise considered the development was in accordance with national policy in respect of development of alternative energy resources. “In this context, the development might be deemed to constitute a reasonable extension of the existing facility with a strategic significance, possibly sufficient to be treated as an exception to the general policy of prohibiting new access points onto the national road outside the 50km/h limit,†the direction added. Mr Fox said: “We are not going away. This project is crucial for Meath. When it is built, it will attract more industry. There is a lot of talk about the smart economy and this is the smart economy. The project stretches across industry, energy and agriculture,†he said. Mr Fox explained that they had initially applied for planning permission with proposals for a new access road off the N52, having been guided by Meath County Council's advice. However, the NRA objected to this access as it would contravene policy, and directed the applicant to consider using the existing access at Balrath Cross. As the reason for refusal has now been given as the inadequacy of the existing road network, HDS Energy feels it can now proceed with an application using a new access off the N52. “Bord Pleanala have given us a very clear direction that they consider this a strategic industry and we are determined to push ahead,†he said. “The decision was not a refusal, it was a direction to re-lodge for a new properly designed access.†Mr Fox said that Shamrock Renewable Fuels fully intends to engage with its neighbours in the area and try to allay any concerns they may have.