The controversy over a toxic waste incinerator proposed for east Cork will come to a head this morning when Cork County Council votes on the proposal.
Councillors will be asked to vote on a material contravention of the County Development Plan which is required to allow the proposed €80 million facility, which is a key requirement for the project, to proceed.
Indaver Ireland, part of a Belgian multinational waste management company, is proposing to build and operate the incinerator at Ringaskiddy in Cork harbour.
For the contravention to be passed 36 of the 48 councillors will have to vote in its favour, which means that a no vote by only 13 councillors will see the proposal rejected.
However, despite Cork county manager, Mr Maurice Moloney, urging councillors to vote in its favour, the project faces stiff opposition.
Cork's mayor Ms Paula Desmond (Lab) has been opposed to the incinerator, which would be located on a 30-acre site on Ringaskiddy peninsula, and has publicly stated she will vote against the proposal.
Other councillors who have voiced their opposition to the project include Dáil deputies Mr Gerard Murphy (FG) and Mr Simon Coveney (FG).
There are indications that Labour and Fine Gael will stand together in voting No.
The proposed incinerator would handle 100,000 tonnes of waste a year, with approximately half coming from the pharmaceutical industry and the balance of non-hazardous waste from industry.
If the council rejects the proposal today, it is expected that Indaver Ireland will appeal that decision to An Bord Pleanála.
However, the anti-incinerator group - Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Harbour - said it would bring the battle to the High Court to prevent the incinerator going ahead.
The group are expected to stage a protest outside the council's offices at County Hall this morning where the controversial vote will take place.