Appeals board decision on Nobber incinerator set for early November

Nobber firm College Proteins has submitted an extensive scientific and technical outline in support of its proposals for its combined heat and power (CHP) plant to incinerate meat and bonemeal (MBM) to An Bord Pleanála, which has received over 70 submissions from local residents and organisations objecting to the proposal before last week"s closing date. A decision on the controversial project, brought under the 'fast-track" Strategic Infrastructural Development Scheme (SIDS), which allows the application to bypass normal county council planning channels, is expected by early November from the planning appeals board, which can opt to hold an oral hearing in late August/early September. Among the objectors to the plan are Deputies Thomas Byrne and Shane McEntee, Louth People Against Incineration, Mullagh Anti-Incineration Group, Meath Hill GFC, Carrickleck NS and St Brigid"s NS boards of management, Nobber Community Development Group and Kilmainhamwood Nursing Home. Most submissions came from individuals and families, including horse trainer Noel Meade, as well as Dr John McMahon and Dr Sheila Casey. College Proteins forwarded very detailed technical studies by UK BSE expert, Dr Ray Bradley, addressing the effectiveness of the incineration, combustion control and minimising of harmful emissions from the proposed 10mW plant. Prof Kevin Dodd addressed veterinary impact, while AWN Consulting dealt with any potential dioxin output and Dr Dieter Schrenk set out a lengthy review of any health effects from the plant, modelled on a long-functioning Wykes plant in the UK. All these experts conclude the likely impact of the College Proteins plan on the surrounding neighbourhood as negligible, including any potential health effects on residents in a wide area. The AWN report describes 'excellent' burnout at the Wykes plant where ash samplings were well within organic carbon levels. The Combustion Fluidised Bed (CFB) proposed for the Nobber plant would be run on a stable feed rate with slow-running low-noise fans minimising the turbine exhaust noise. The bespoke boiler system with superheater and economiser would further reduce emissions, it claims, while its economiser and further cooling would keep dioxin levels below current EU limits. Fly ash would be collected in the filters, bagged and stored on site. Dr Schrenk, Professor of Toxicology at the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany, rounded on numerous studies alleging dioxin and other emission problems from municipal waste incinerators. Most of those plants had since been substantially updated while the studies concerned failed to properly calculate or measure alleged emissions, he says. The by-products likely to cause concern, such as oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, hydrogen compounds of chlorine and fluorine, were addressed by the Wykes design, he added. The baseline study at College Proteins in mid-2006 showed nitrogen oxide levels at just seven per cent of the permitted EU limit at the plant, but at 58 per cent in Nobber village as a result of traffic there, added Dr Schrenk. The professor found the likelihood of any such dangerous chemicals occurring only at levels 'significantly below' the EU limits and concluded the new plant would have 'no adverse toxicological impact'. AWN Consulting carried out modelling for worst case scenarios and claimed research results indicating this would never exceed more than 10 per cent of EU limits. It noted College Proteins had retained 30-40 per cent of MBM in sealed silos since December 2006, pending the issue of a licence and for trial purposes to prime the system. The FBC burner had the capacity to 'eliminate detectable BSE infectivity' rendering any risk to transmission to humans or livestock negligible. Dr Dodd described the CHP plant as 'a neutral risk' to health provided it met statutory licensing criteria. APEX Geoservices reported a moderate, or low to moderate risk, of aquifer contamination from the proposed disposal of ash on surrounding lands owned by College Proteins. It listed 24 separate bird species observed at the plant site, including the grey heron. It calculated no risk to nearby protected sites as Corstown and Breakey loughs. The report described the six biofilters at College Proteins as already 95 per cent within permitted levels with the high stack temperature of the CHP 'likely to be similar'. It further noted the firm had reduced its reliance on fossil fuels by over 19,500 tonnes between 2002-2006, while the CHP would save 38,494 tonnes of greenhouse gases if operational between 2008-2012, almost 0.3 per cent of Ireland"s total EU allocation. The Eastern Regional Fisheries Board (ERFB) and Department of Agriculture were consulted by the firm in pre-submission meetings. The ERFB sought mitigation measures during construction and the release only of clean, uncontaminated surface water to watercourses, given the proximity of the Cregg stream, 'a valuable salmonid catchment' of the Dee river. The Moloney Millar study on the 8,400 tonnes of bottom ash set for disposal in the landfill owned by College Proteins noted the lands had the capacity for 10 years, while the leachate would be pumped to a storage lagoon before the bagging of ash in PVC bags. The North-East Against Incineration group has commended the many individuals and groups who had recorded their opposition to the incinerator proposal. Secretary John Keogan confirmed objectors had already spent over €10,000 on their submissions against the incinerator and planned a major fundraising raffle in August to help fund their campaign. He added that the group remained confident its case would succeed and the very strong support from 27 Meath County Councillors at their annual meeting in Navan last week had boosted that confidence, he said. Both locals and those living in the hinterland of the proposed incinerator should realise that the battle had only begun and no decision had yet been made by An Bord Pleanála. North-East Against Incineration is securing technical opinion to challenge the points raised by the College Proteins experts and Mr Keogan felt sure many of their findings could be successfully challenged. Meanwhile, Cllr John V Farrelly has said the Government stood shamed for providing the legislation to force a third waste biomass combined heat and power plant on the county. The Kells area councillor said Minister Noel Dempsey"s policies on Strategic Infrastructural Development Schemes had left the county"s planners helpless. The Government, he added, had introduced the SIDS legislation which prevented local authorities from dealing with such projects. He criticised Fianna Fáil councillors as well as Mr Dempsey and Junior Minister Mary Wallace for not accepting responsibility. 'There"s adequate capacity for the meat and bonemeal to be disposed of in the existing Lagan plant (near Kinnegad) and the new incinerator being build in Duleek,' added Cllr Farrelly. No-one was confident of An Bord Pleanála"s ruling on the matter, which he believed would follow Government policy laid down by Fianna Fail, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats, he added. It was outrageous that these parties would stand idly by and allow north Meath residents to spend thousands of euro taking on the State over the matter. Plants processing meat and bonemeal were 'a necessary evil' given that 50 per cent of animals sent to a meat plant was considered waste, but such waste could be processed by the existing four plants now operating countrywide, he claimed.