Plans for the €200 million environmental clean-up of the coal-burning Moneypoint power station suffered a setback yesterday when An Taisce formally objected to the proposal.
An Taisce's Heritage Officer, Mr Ian Lumley, has told Clare County Council that the ESB plan contravenes the provisions of the National Climate Change Strategy Ireland 2000.
Currently, the 915 MW power station, which supplies the State with up to 25 per cent of its electricity, is Ireland's single largest source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
Mr Lumley points out that the Climate Change Strategy states that the conversion of Moneypoint to a gas-powered plant "would make the largest single contribution to reduce Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions".
However, Mr Lumley points out that the ESB plan at Moneypoint will not do anything to reduce (CO2) emissions, but instead will actually increase them by 125,000 tonnes a year.
He says the ESB proposal fails to address the fundamental issue posed by the continual emissions of more than five million tonnes of CO2 from Moneypoint per annum.
Mr Lumley says the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) lodged with the plan does not address the alternative of conversion to Natural Gas recommended in National Climate Change Strategy for Ireland in 2000. He added that An Taisce recommends that a revised EIS be sought, properly assessing all alternatives to comply with National Climate Change document. The objection lodged by An Taisce follows the publication of a report by the European Environmental Agency (EEA) this week which showed that the State is further off the greenhouse gas reduction target than any other EU country.
The EEA report shows that Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions in 2001 were more than double the 13 per cent increase allowed under the Kyoto Agreement on climate change between 2008-2012. According to the agency, Ireland, with Spain and Portugal, are the furthest away from keeping to their share of the EU target.
The report led to a rebuke from EU Environment Commissioner Ms Margot Wallstrom, who called for more stringent measures and policies to combat the emissions.
The ESB needs to secure planning permission for its clean-up to allow the station operate past 2008 in order to comply with a licence granted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requiring that pollution levels be drastically cut at the station, which supplies the State which one quarter of its electricity.
The ESB board will not make a decision on whether to go ahead with the plan until June 2004, when it weighs up the cost implications of proceeding. A decision by Clare County Council on the planning application is expected this year.
