Confusion surrounds the proposed development of a municipal waste incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin with claims from local politicians, including the Tanaiste, that it has been abandoned being disputed by Dublin City Council.
Local politicians from across the spectrum issued statements this afternoon welcoming the news that plans to build the controversial incinerator in Ringsend had been scrapped
The Tanaiste Michael McDowell was first off the blocks in welcoming the news. He issued a statement saying said it represented "a victory for local democracy".
Dublin City Council subsequently issued a statement insisting that that the project was still on track and the statutory processes, including the planning application by Dublin City Council to An Bord Pleanála and the application to the Environmental Protection Agency for a license to operate the proposed plant which will have the capacity to handle up to 600,000 tonnes of waste annually, are continuing.
"The waste to energy project for Dublin is still going ahead", Matt Twomey, Assistant City Manager, Dublin City Council said.
The Green Party chairman John Gormley has called on Mr McDowell to clarify the source of his claim. He "owes it to the local community to clarify where he is getting the information that allows him to confidently announce the collapse of this project, even though as far as Dublin City Council is concerned it's all systems go," Mr Gormley said.
Dublin City Council has applied for planning permission for the incinerator, which is to burn 600,000 tonnes of waste annually, last July. The plant was to operate on foot of a public private partnership contract between Dublin City Council and a Danish Company.
However the Danish company has since been taken over and Mr McDowell said today that the new owner has told the council it was no longer interested in pursuing the project.
The council denied this and said that the company's new owner wishes to make changes to the commercial arrangements of the project. These changes include "how the project will be financed and we are in discussions with them about the changes they wish to make. We will issue a statement when these discussions are concluded," Mr Twomey said.
More than 2,000 objections to the application were received by Bord Pleanála last October. Objections to the facility were made by several environmental groups, political parties and local residents.
