Indaver plan to double hazardous waste intake

Indaver Ireland is proposing to increase the tonnage of hazardous waste burned at its Carranstown site to more than double its current level.

The company has applied for planning permission to increase its annual intake of hazardous waste from 10,000 to 25,000 tonnes and is also seeking to increase overall tonnage from 235,000 to 250,000 tonnes.

The company is also looking to develop a hydrogen generation unit to improve the energy efficiency of the site.

The proposal has met with an angry reaction from the Duleek and District Environmental Group who said it would cause an even greater health risk to community and the families living in the area.

Spokesperson, Pat O'Brien called on local public representatives to oppose the project.

“We need all our public representatives to challenge this application, while there is still time to do so,” he said.

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Cllr Stephen McKee said he was very concerned at the proposal to increase the amount of hazardous waste and he would be making a submission on behalf of local residents.

The company has applied to An Bord Pleanala for a 10 year planning permission to increase the amount of hazardous and general waste as well as developing a 10MW hydrogen generation unit for connection to the natural gas network and for mobile hydrogen transport applications.

Mr O'Brien said Duleek was now firmly established as the dumping capital of Ireland and the community is finding its health compromised as a result.

“Indaver, promised several years ago, before they even opened, never to get involved in the burning of hazardous waste, stating their plant was not designed to burn such waste and that it was only for household waste.

“That promise to our community was broken some years back when they applied for and got a hazardous licence to burn such waste, and now they are seeking to increase that tonnage substantially, which in turn could add even greater health risk to our community and the families living here.”

He said the application also increases the need for a regional EPA office in the north east region.

“It is time the EPA who are providing these licences, established a presence here in this area, and through regular independent checks kept a close eye on what is actual going on here.

“We are now calling on all our public representatives to get involved in this application, as it goes straight to Bord Pleanala and there is a limited amount any community group can do on their own,” he said.

Indaver said the aim of the proposal is to the reduce the export of hazardous waste and increase renewable energy output.

“By installing a hydrogen generation unit onsite this will allow us to make use of energy that would otherwise be wasted. It is envisaged that hydrogen could be used to fuel vehicles or could be blended with natural gas to provide low-carbon heat for homes and businesses”.

Indaver says hydrogen is safer than a lot of fuels commonly used today. “Due to the large-scale use of hydrogen in the petrochemical industry, and the growing interest in replacing fossil fuel use, very stringent safety standards have been established.”

In a leaflet to local households, the company says it is seeking to improve the sustainability of the existing Carranstown site.

“By deriving more renewable energy through investment and upgrades to the facility, this will assist in the transition to a circular economy and a climate resilient society.

“This will increase the energy efficiency of the site which already generates enough electricity annually to power Drogheda and Navan combined.”