Residents have reacted angrily to the news that the proposed incinerator at Carranstown, Co Meath, are to apply for a 33 per cent increase in operating capacity.
Indaver Ireland will apply for planning permission in the coming weeks to allow the plant to take up to 200,000 tonnes of non-hazardous waste a year.
Áine Walsh, spokeswoman for the No Incineration Alliance, said the news confirmed "one of our worst fears" by showing that Indaver aimed to take waste from Dublin, beyond its remit for the northeast.
"In this climate, where we have sufficient landfill capacity for our needs and we have to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol, it is lunacy to start increasing our burn technology," she said.
Speaking on RTE radio this morning, however, Indaver Ireland general manager John Ahern said its proposal was in line with the waste management plan for the region.
"The idea actually comes from the local authorities in the region itself - Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan. Their waste management plan calls for a bigger facility," he said.
The plan had been revised due to economic and housing growth in the region, he added.
Green Party environment spokesman Ciarán Cuffe expressed concern about the proposal. "The more incineration capacity we have the more difficult it will be to reduce, reuse and recycle waste materials. We're not addressing the more fundamental question of how we can reduce the amount of waste we produce."
Former Drogheda mayor, Cllr Gerald Nash, said he was "angry and disappointed, but not at all surprised" at Indaver's decision.
A High Court challenge against Indaver's original planning permission failed last year, but this has been appealed to the Supreme Court. A decision is expected shortly.