The Irish ISPAT steel plant in Cork harbour has been granted a draft pollution control licence by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This had been delayed due to the number of complaints against the plant. One of the conditions is the removal of hazardous waste. The EPA has told the management it will have to invest millions of pounds to improve the plant. Earlier this year the EPA threatened the company with High Court action unless it controlled dangerous dust emissions containing lead particles.
The EPA says the plant at Haulbowline, Co Cork, was given the draft Integrated Pollution Control (IPC) licence last Friday.
It also says there are 100 complaints against the plant since June 1999, mainly on dust and noise emissions, but others are about waste disposal.
The Green Party has reacted strongly to the granting of the licence. "It's a mystery how a company can go from having a poor environmental record to being granted a licence in a short matter of months," said Cork city councillor, Mr Dan Boyle.
"We feel the company has performed poorly in its environmental obligations to the area. The EPA is sending out the wrong signals with this."
An EPA spokeswoman said it was "confident ISPAT are capable of keeping within the terms of the licence. If they don't, they will be in difficulties with the EPA."
The last date for objections from third parties to the licence is March 29th. The draft licence includes 15 conditions, along with 11 schedules the plant must obey, including emissions limits.
Mr Boyle said environmental groups and individuals would be "closely looking over the contents of the licence".
Conditions of the licence cover the environmental management of emissions to atmosphere, water, surface and ground, as well as waste management, noise, energy use, monitoring and reporting, accidents, emergency response and residuals management.
An Irish ISPAT spokesman said it had notice from the EPA of a draft licence and is assessing the implications.
He said the company will comment further upon completing its assessment.
ISPAT has been responsible for 15 incidents since June 1999, including 11 illegal air and dust emissions, two operational incidents when the plant malfunctioned due to human error and two others logged by the agency under the heading explosion/fire.
EPA sources previously said the delay in issuing the licence was due to the number of complaints received.