Dublin City Council has issued a statement reaffirming that is has been, and remains, in a contractual position for the provision of a waste-to-energy facility at Poolbeg to deal with Dublin’s residual waste into the future.
The Dublin Waste to Energy project contract is in line with current EU and Irish Government waste policy. The project, as detailed in the current Regional Waste Management Plan, will provide vital infrastructure to deal with waste arising in the Dublin region in the future as well as attracting significant inward foreign investment, at a time when foreign direct investment is so important to the Irish economy.
The statement follows RTE’s Primetime report on the controversial project, televised on 2nd September, which stated that the Council could “walk away with no cost” on 4th September 2010. This is factually incorrect, stresses Dublin City Council.
The four Dublin Local Authorities alone have spent substantial sums to date in land acquisition, statutory processes and client representative costs etc. Further major expenditure is committed arising from the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) on part of the original site. These monies have or will be expended in implementing Government policy on waste disposal. This does not take into account any compensation that might be payable to the Public Private Partnership (PPP) company should the contract be terminated. The PPP company will also have incurred substantial costs.
The Dublin Authorities, and its partners in the project, believe that this project is essential to dealing with Dublin’s waste for many years to come; that it provides good value for money for the taxpayer, as certified by the National Development Finance Agency. It will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint and will provide for electricity generation and district heating for a large area of the city.
An update on the current position will be given to the members of the City Council at the City Council Meeting to be held today, 6th September 2010.