Setback for Kells as green power plant is shot down

The refusal of planning permission for a new wood briquette production plant at Balrath, Kells, which would have created several hundred Meath jobs, has been described as a “killer blow†for the county. An Bord Pleanala has refused permission for the proposed wood briquette production plant, which would also have included a small power station, as a result of the poor local road network. It had been estimated that the development by Shamrock Renewable Fuels would have created 180 jobs in construction and a further 100 on site, with 70 jobs in transport to the facility and potentially hundreds more in timber-growing around the county. Parick Farrelly, one of the local businessmen behind the venture, described the decision as “an awful, awful blow, not just to us, but to the entire countyâ€. He pointed out that the plant could have eventually led to to thousands of jobs as industries would have been attracted to locate in the area close to a cheap and green source of fuel. He stressed, however, that the decision would not affect Farrelly Brothers' current willow production business. Mr Farrelly pointed out that the board had refused permission on the grounds of the inadequate road network. “In view of the overall investment, the additional costs in making the road network right would not have been significant,†he said. Mr Farrelly said they would be reading through the Bord Pleanala decision and would be considering their position. Shamrock Renewable Fuels Ltd, a joint venture between Farrelly Brothers of Carnaross and HDS Energy of Kells Business Park, had sought planning permission for a renewable fuel plant where willow and other wood would be converted into carbon neutral fuels, including wood briquettes and wood pellets. The heat generated to manufacture these products would also have generated sufficient electricity to run the plant while also providing 12mW of electricity for export to the national grid. Meath County Council granted planning permission for the project but the council's decision was appealed by local residents. The planning appeals board ruled that the existing roads in the area were severely inadequate, having regard to the nature and volume of traffic likely to be generated by the operation, with predicted movements (after the year 2015) of trucks at an average of 669 per week, or nine per hour. They believed it would create a traffic hazard and obstruct road-users. The company has been running a national campaign to encourage farmers to grow willow, an energy crop that can be harvested after three years - compared to 35 years for more traditional forestry. The wood briquettes and pellets which they had hoped to manufacture at Balrath are carbon neutral. The process involves drying the wood and, as part of that process, they would also have generated electricity. Initially, the plant would have used forestry thinnings (young trees harvested when thinning out young forests) as well as willow, but as time went on, willow would have made up the bulk of the wood used. Earlier this year, Alan Fox of HDS Energy predicted a strong export market for their wood fuels as Europe has a huge appetite for wood briquettes, mainly in Scandinavia, Germany and France. Farrelly Brothers are agricultural contractors who also work on road and pipeline projects and who have been in business for over 35 years. HDS Energy was set up in Celbridge 30 years ago but moved to Kells Business Park in 2003. The company supplies more than 80 per cent of the large industrial steam boilers used in Irish industry and over 80 per cent of their products are exported to Europe. The company employs 50 people in Ireland and 40 in Denmark.