A MOTION CALLING on Dublin City Council to cancel their agreement to build an incinerator at Poolbeg passed last night.
Councillors voted on the motion, which implores the council to cancel their agreement with American firm Covanta.
The motion, brought by independent councillor Nial Ring, asked councillors to “agree that it is our position/view that the Project Agreement with Covanta relating to the Waste to Energy Project at Poolbeg should be cancelled”.
It called on City Manager Owen Keegan to “to immediately act on this decision”.
In his response, Keegan warned that cancelling the project would cost around €160 million.
Keegan said last month said that Poolbeg would not be abandoned unless a waste to energy plant could be agreed between the capital’s four local authorities.
“Dublin City Council on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities has entered into a Design, Build, Operate and Finance contract with a PPP Co. for the development of a Waste to Energy facility until such time as a decision is made in relation to progressing with this project, Dublin City Council does not intend to review the business case associated with the procurement of an alternative solution for the treatment of municipal waste.”
‘No Plan B’
Ring said after the vote that he was worried that there was no alternative plan in place.
“What is disquieting is that there is no Plan B and the Manager admitted this in a written reply to me last month.
“Given the size and complexity of the project this reply was unbelievable” added Cllr Ring.
This council has two months left before the local elections and I am glad that we have passed this motion and can go to our fellow citizens and say that we made sure that Dublin and Dubliners would not be saddled with an incinerator that no one wants, is not cost effective, and most importantly that we put forward an alternative which could actually make money for our city.
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