Oral hearing on plan for Cement project
AN Bord Pleanala has decided to hold an oral hearing into Irish Cement’s plans to burn up to 600,000 tons of mixed waste as an aalternative fuel at their plant in Platin.
The hearing will take place on 21st November in City North Hotel at 10.30am and local campaigners are hoping that a large number will turn out to listen to the submissions.
The North East Association of Environmental Groups say that the plans is ‘flawed’ and needs to be critically medically and scientifically examined, in great detail, before any planning permission or license is granted, now or into the future.
In a statement, Irish Cement said they were looking forward to setting out details of the application during the oral hearing.
Campaigners against the proposal urge everyone who made submissions to attend, ‘especially our elected public representative who hopefully will all turn up and avail of their special privileged time allocation allowed to them.’’
This is the communities time now to engage with An Bord Pleanala in seeking a better way / plan, that at least would reduce the tonnage, reduce license period, take out many of the toxic hazardous materials, and increase the much needed regulations, controls, and modern independent monitoring devises, including a local EPA Regional Office here in North East Area,’ they stated.
Irish Cement remarked: ‘ This project seeks to replace existing fossil fuel use by increasing the quantity and range of alternative fuels used in the cement kilns in Platin.
‘ This will reduce Platin’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, reduce CO2 emissions by up to 300,000 tonnes per year, and will help recover valuable resources that might otherwise end up in landfill.
‘It will allow Platin to continue to operate competitively and will support existing direct and indirect employment in the Cement Works,’ they said.
‘Platin first began using alternative fuels in 2011 and by 2016 had reached its current 120,000 tonne permitted limit.
‘Replacing fossil fuels in cement factories is standard practice in Ireland and throughout Europe, and is in line with European, national and regional waste management policy. Extensive experience over four decades in Europe demonstrates that replacing fossil fuels with these new fuels will have no impact on emissions from the Cement Works.’