Dublin City Council has surprised commentators by extending the period for a final decision on the planned thermal incinerator at Poolbeg to April 2013.
A shorter time frame of four to six weeks for the decision had been expected.
In an announcement last night, the city council said a decision date on “recommencement of construction work at the Dublin Waste to Energy plant” would be extended to April in light of negotiations between Dublin Waste to Energy Ltd and the company’s banks.
The negotiations relate to finance for the construction phase of the incinerator project.
The council said it was also engaged with the European Commission on complaints regarding State aid and procurement.
The council reiterated its view that the waste-to-energy project was central to the waste-management plan for Dublin, which aimed to achieve 59 per cent recycling, 16 per cent landfill and 25 per cent of non-recyclable waste being thermally treated at the incinerator.