A £60 million power station to be built in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, town centre has been given the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanala. The gas-fired generating station is to be located on the former Glanbia site, which is to be redeveloped as an extended town centre with houses, restaurants, a shopping complex and other amenities.
In its decision, however, the board said the power station would be consistent with the zoning objectives of the site, which provide for industrial development.
"The proposed development would be acceptable in terms of traffic safety and convenience, would not seriously injure the amenities of the area and would be in accordance with the proper planning and development of the area," it said. Affected parties were notified of the decision yesterday. Some obstacles remain before the developer, Dungarvan Energy Ltd, can proceed. An application for an operating licence is currently before the Environmental Protection Agency, while a power line connecting the station to the national grid is the subject of a separate planning application by the ESB.
Seven landowners and a property developer have objected to the ESB's proposal to erect an overhead 110-kV line from the power plant to its substation at Killadangan, about two miles from Dungarvan. A decision by the two local authorities concerned, Waterford County Council and Dungarvan UDC, is not expected until next month at the earliest.
It is understood the two authorities have a preference for an underground cable, but the ESB has told them this is not economically feasible.
Dungarvan Energy Ltd is a partnership between Rolls-Royce Power Ventures Ltd, which has its head office in London, and a number of Irish businessmen. It plans to replace a former heat-and-power plant on the Glanbia site with a new, gas-fired generating station.
The company is in discussions with Bord Gais about the construction of a natural gas pipeline to Dungarvan, and hopes to be in operation by mid-2002. An appeal against the original decision of Dungarvan UDC to approve the plant had been appealed to An Bord Pleanala by a local resident, Ms Colette O'Connell.
Conditions attached to the board's approval for the development include the requirement that an archaeological appraisal of the site be undertaken.