850 apply for 50 jobs at Duleek incineration plant

Over 850 applications for jobs at Ireland's first municipal incinerator at Carranstown, Duleek, were received by Indaver, the company behind the project revealed this week. The applications were for various positions, including operators, shift leaders and engineering positions at the controversial facility, which will be fully operational in September and which will employ 50 people. Indaver has completed its current recruitment process for direct employees - some 60 per cent of those employed are from the Meath area, with 20 per cent being from the local Duleek community. The successful candidates have now commenced employment at the site. Over the next few months, the new recruits will undergo intensive training in preparation for full operation of the facility in September. An essential part of the training process is gaining practical hands-on experience in a fully operational environment. This means several trips to Belgium to work alongside colleagues in one of Indaver's sister plants there. The manager of the Duleek facility, Bart Verlinden, said of his new colleagues: “I am positively impressed by the level of competency, ambition and drive of our new recruits. I am delighted that we found the right people for the right roles in the local area.†When fully operational in September, the waste-to-energy facility will accept up to 200,000 tonnes of waste and operate with 50 staff. The opening of the incinerator will also see the start of the community fund. Depending on the annual tonnage into the site, Indaver will donate money towards a fund for the Meath community. At the current capacity, this means an annual fund of €250,000 to the community per annum. Construction of the facility is now entering the final stages. The main components needed for each stage of the process are now in place, including waste treatment, energy production and cleaning. The cladding, which has been designed to blend in with the local landscape, is currently being erected and the grey and green cladding will be visible in the coming days. The Duleek facility represents a €130 million investment. The plant can accept up to 200,000 tonnes of waste and is expected to produce 15mW of electricity, which will be fed to the national grid (representing enough energy to heat over 20,000 homes). Over 300 people are currently employed in construction at the Carranstown site and a total of 50 will be employed when the facility becomes operational by September. Commissioning of the Indaver plant is due to commence in March.