Further information submitted on Kentstown gas plant plans
Further information has been submitted to Meath County Council on plans for a controversial gas fired peaking power plant in Kentstown.
Polarisgate Ltd is seeking a 10-year planning permission for the development which consists of three open cycle gas turbine generators each with a 30m high stack on a 19-acre site at Curraghtown, Brownstown.
The plant, if approved would have a 40-year operation period and would provide back-up electricity to the national grid.
The proposal met with huge opposition locally and a protest was held in Kentstown village last April against the plans.
The recent further information submission follows a formal request by the Meath County Council in December last year for detailed clarification on 21 points, including the plant’s necessity, environmental impact, impact on key heritage sites, traffic implications.
According to the Stop Kentstown Power Plant Group, Polarisgate Ltd itself has acknowledged in its latest documentation that Ireland is already on target to meet the Government’s call for 2GW of flexible gas generation capacity—the very target the proposed Kentstown plant was originally intended to support.
Furthermore, they say the developer notes that in excess of 3GW of similar gas plants have already been granted planning permission since the Government's 2021 call for such gas fired peaker power plants and say this admission has intensified questions about the need for the Kentstown project at all.
“When the developer themselves notes the national target has been significantly surpassed, it becomes impossible to justify building another fossil fuel power plant in an unsuitable rural location,” said a spokesperson for the Stop Kentstown Power Plant group.
“You just have to look at last week’s report from the EPA on how Ireland is likely going to miss its 2030 emissions by a wide margin meaning Ireland is now facing potential EU fines ranging from €8 billion to a staggering €26 billion for missing its 2030 emissions targets - every extra unneeded gas plant like the one proposed for Kentstown risks deepening our national climate compliance bill—money that could otherwise fund home insulation, clean energy and local jobs,” the spokesperson added.
Issues flagged by the Stop Kentstown Power Plant campaign include: failure to conduct a national site assessment or justify the chosen site in light of zoning concerns; the lack of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); revised construction traffic estimates showing significant increases, raising road safety and disruption concerns; potential destruction of red- and amber-listed wildlife habitats; ongoing threats to views and prospects, including sightlines from historic and cultural landmarks such as Tara, Knowth, and Slane; the climate impacts of an unneeded fossil-fuel-powered facility.
Members of the public have until Monday, 14th July to lodge observations or objections.