A group opposed to a proposed £5 million explosives factory in Co Clare has received support from its TDs.
This week five members of the west Clare-based Kildysart Explosives Factory Opposition Group (KEFOG) gave a petition with 500 signatures to the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, who has responsibility for issuing the factory licence.
Mr O'Donoghue also heard the views of fellow Cabinet Minister, Ms de Valera, ail colleagues, Mr Brendan Daly and Mr Tony Killeen of Fianna Fail, and Mr Donal Carey of Fine Gael.
The factory backer is Mr Paddy Whelan, an Ennis-based businessman whose quarry, building materials and construction companies have a £25 million turnover and employ 250 people. He wants to challenge the only explosives factory operators in the State, CRH-controlled Irish Industrial Explosives (IIE) in Enfield, Co Meath, with his new company, Shannon Explosives.
He said there were misconceptions about the industry, pointing out that IEE has lorries on Irish roads every day "distributing explosives that keep our industry alive".
He added: "With the new national road projects, a serious additional requirement will come on stream over the next 10 years and with the volumes that will be required, if we do not put something like this in place, there will be a problem in supply."
The managing director for the Shannon Explosives project, Mr Bob Morhard, a US-born explosives expert, said the Whelan group was already a threat to the CRH group in the quarry, road construction, ready-mix cement and pre-cast concrete industries. "We are taking market share from them all over Ireland and they do not want us to be in the explosives business," he said.
But first Shannon Explosives must get planning permission. Following the granting of a draft factory licence from the Department of Justice, the county's planning authority has asked for further information. It has received a series of objections from the opposition group.
Kildysart, an under-developed part of the county, is on the Shannon Estuary and has tourism potential, the group believes. The factory, which would provide about 35 jobs to local people, is planned for Caheracon Pier, a deep-water facility which is industrially zoned and a mile-and-a-half from the village. A production area, three magazines and a warehouse are proposed, with a 670-metre exclusion zone around the facility.
"There is the perception of what the whole idea of an explosives factory conjures up and we are just as concerned about that from the point of view of tourism," said Mr Terence Corry, chairman of KEFOG, and a manager with Golden Vale.
The KEFOG objection contends that the area is zoned for tourist-related industry dependent on the deep-water facilities and that the pier is reserved for sea-oriented industries. Mr Whelan used to run a marine salvage business at the site earmarked for the factory.
KEFOG members claim the remaining rusting ships hulls and barges are an eyesore, but Mr Whelan said some items were "sold last week for £180,000. In their eyes, it might not look valuable; the reality is that it is very expensive equipment."
The objecters say the factory would be in a visually vulnerable area, in conflict with the county development plan's aim, and would benefit only a few people. No development is allowed which would have "life-threatening, catastrophic consequences", according to the submission.
But Mr Morhard, who has set up seven similar projects, emphasises the industry's safety record. He said 75 per cent of the factory's produce would be a dry blasting agent which is non-explosive until mixed with vinegar by the end user.
The rest would be emulsion explosive which is "virtually shock, friction, fire, water and bullet proof". The raw materials will be ammonium nitrate, diesel, glass micro-spheres and emulsifier. More than five million tonnes of that explosive are used worldwide annually, the Environmental Impact Statement notes.
"An explosives factory will generally be regarded as an unwelcome development in any local community and would normally be expected to generate local opposition. This is brought about by the fear of accidents occurring both on the road, during transportation or at the site during production.
"However, this proposed production unit . . . has the most stringent safety and production controls, complying with UN and all international standards and safety guidelines," it adds.