Incinerator plan that has wasted €100million in taxpayers' money voted out by councillors

» Mark Moloney

The short-sightedness of those who drew up the agreement meant that a bizarre “put-or-pay” clause was included meaning Dublin City Council must provide 320,000tonnes of waste per year to the plant or face fines of up to €351million.

A PLAN to build a waste incinerator at Poolbeg was finally abandoned after Dublin City Council voted to scrap the plan at a council meeting on Monday night. So far, the scandal that has rumbled on since 1997 has cost taxpayers €100million without a single brick being laid.

In February 2013, An Phoblacht published an in-depth report outlining the massive waste of taxpayers' money which included €28.5million on consultants, €10million on purchasing land, €33million on relocating companies currently based on the site, and yet more millions in site management, legal costs, public relations and other fees.

The short-sightedness of those who drew up the agreement meant that a bizarre “put-or-pay” clause was included meaning Dublin City Council must provide 320,000tonnes of waste per year to the plant or face fines of up to €351million. Of course, since then the Council has privatised waste collection services making it unable to provide the waste or force private companies to do so.

The Council had also banked on the building of the M50 Southern Bypass to allow the 800 extra truck journeys needed to deliver the waste to the incinerator – it was never built.

The parent company of the group tasked with running the project has also faced millions in fines elsewhere for breaches of environmental laws that have included excessive emissions of carcinogenic dioxides.

Sinn Féin Environment spokesperson Brian Stanley TD welcomed the move, adding:

"Now the City Manager is claiming that it will cost a further €150million on the basis of some spurious ‘letter of comfort’ that no-one has seen. He must withdraw that threat."

This threat comes after a report by the Council recommended:

"The contractor should receive a termination payment which leaves it in the position it would have been in had the contract run its full course.” In other words, investors should get the returns they expected even if the project never goes ahead!

A final decision on the future of the controversial project will be taken in the coming months once the EU rules on two complaints.

Brian Stanley continued:

“Sinn Féin has argued from the outset that not only is an incinerator a threat to people’s health, but that it is unnecessary on the basis that it should be possible to move towards a ‘zero waste’ position.”