PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release: October 9, 2003 

CORK INCINERATOR TO BE MANAGED FROM BELGIAN
Hearing Expected to Conclude Tomorrow

On Day 13 (Wed 8 Oct) of the Oral Hearing into the application for a National Hazardous Waste Incinerator at Ringaskiddy, Co Cork, applicants Indaver Ireland, revealed that none of the on-site management team will have pervious experience in running any incinerator.  Any experienced personnel will be based in their Flanders Plant, and the Cork plant will be managed from Belgium!

Community Groups were completely taken aback at this revelation, and left questioning the ability of Indaver to run an efficient operation.  On-site experience should be an absolute necessity in case of an accident or on-site emergency.  Lack of confidence in the proposal is compounded by earlier confirmation that:

·         Indaver have no experience of running this type of incinerator i.e. a fluidized bed incinerator

·         The Indaver incinerator in Flanders had serious emissions breaches (18,000 times over dioxin limits) in August 2002 and again in January 2003 (10 times over dioxin limits)

·         Indaver admitted at the oral hearing that the plant proposed for Cork is below the standard recommended by the Basle Convention for disposing of solid hazardous waste.  The Basle Convention recommends rotary kiln technology for this purpose.

A spokesperson for CHASE (Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment) said, “It is madness not to have experienced personnel on site, particularly in case of any emergency situation.”

“The extensive public consultation which Indaver have undertaken is merely a strategic exercise employed in order to try and force the project in.  The reality is that any company which is proposing to use knowingly substandard technology, which they have never used before, managed by an inadequately experienced team, can hardly have the best interests of the local communities at heart."

The hearing continues at Rochestown Park today, and it is at this stage expected to conclude tomorrow, Friday 10 October.

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For further information/comment contact:
Linda Fitzpatrick, CHASE PRO   Tel: 021 4374506  Mobile: 087 7410849
Mary O’Leary, Chairperson, CHASE    Tel: 021 4811952  Mobile: 086 8177737