Fresh delay on Irish Cement decision in Limerick

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has once again delayed making a decision on Irish Cement’s €10m plan for Mungret.

The firm is planning to phase out the use of fossil fuels in favour of solid recovered waste and used tyres in the production of cement.

The planning side of things has been approved by An Bord Pleanala, with the decision by the environmental regulator​ all that stands between the plans going ahead. A decision was due by this Thursday, May 30.

There have been huge concerns locally about ​the impact the reforms will have on the local environment, with thousands of people writing expressing their concerns to the EPA.

Irish Cement has long maintained the plans will not negatively affect the local environment, pointing out that incineration will be taking place at an extremely high temperature. The firm has also pointed out the move will protect the 80-or-so jobs on site.

Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler said: “This is the third time the EPA has come back looking for further information and it says a lot about the sloppiness of Irish Cement’s application that they have not submitted sufficient information. It doesn’t inspire any confidence, even if there was confidence in their practices if they can’t even manage a process like this right, where they have a professional firm handling it, it doesn’t offer much confidence in them handling anything right.”

Cllr Butler, who was elected into the second City West seat at the weekend added: “As a recently re-elected council, I’ve committed to continuing to oppose it, and I will live up to that commitment.”​

The information Irish Cement it seeking relates to its current industrial emissions licence.

A spokesperson for Irish Cement said: “This type of request from the EPA is not unusual and Irish Cement will respond promptly and then await the subsequent decision of the EPA.”