Wood Pellet Brites Chosen as Green Fuel For New Eco-friendly Building

Northern Ireland construction company the Graham Group has selected wood pellet ‘brites’, produced by Fermanagh-based Balcas, as the preferred fuel for its new 3,000 sq m eco-friendly headquarters outside Hilsborough in County Down. The new state-of-the-art sustainable building, which was recently awarded the highest BREEAM rating, includes a Hoval stand alone wood pellet heat source … Read more

EPA Issues Waste Water Discharge Licence for Greater Dublin Area

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a waste water discharge licence for the Greater Dublin Area Agglomeration in accordance with the Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations, 2007. The Agglomeration is served by one waste water treatment plant (WWTP) at Ringsend. The licence has been issued to Dublin City Council (lead authority) and the joint … Read more

New Chlorine Monitor for Drinking Water Networks

Athenea is the new chlorine monitoring system for potable water networks from Halma Water Management (HWM). It is an autonomous, battery powered chlorine analyser that provides continuous monitoring of concentration levels and transmits data automatically via cellular telemetry. This greatly reduces the need for time-consuming on-site ‘spot’ testing, and obviously allows for much more frequently … Read more

Offshore Wind Heads for Record Year in Europe

118 new offshore wind turbines were fully connected to the grid in the first half of 2010 according to new statistics released by European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). Those 118 turbines have a capacity of 333 MW – well over half the 577MW installed offshore last year – showing continuing strong growth in offshore wind … Read more

IOFGA Welcomes Commitment to a GM Free Label

IOFGA (Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association) has endorsed the ministerial commitment to introducing a GM free label for Irish products. The majority of meat and dairy products produced in Ireland are exported primarily to Europe. Germany has introduced a GM free label which has been very successful and it is being closely followed by … Read more

Government's Investment Priorities Highlight Environmental Sustainability and Energy Efficiency

The promotion of environmental sustainability and energy efficiency will be a key focus of the Government’s Infrastructure Investment Priorities for 2010-2016, which will entail investment totaling Eur40 billion, up to 4% of Gross National Product, over a seven years period. The current economic climate has forced the Government to complete a comprehensive review of its … Read more

Leading Business Leaders Back Move for EU Harsher Climate Change Targets

27 business leaders from companies across Europe have supported the move to drive the European Union to toughen greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. In a letter signed by the 27 company heads and published by The Financial Times, Le Monde and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, EU ministers are urged to push for increased carbon-cutting targets. The … Read more

Report of Local Government Efficiency Review Group – Recommendations on Water and Waste

The Government has published the Report of the Local Government Efficiency Review Group. The independent Local Government Efficiency Review Group was established by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, TD, in late 2009 to review the cost base, expenditure of and numbers employed in local authorities. The report makes 106 … Read more

Musgrave and Airtricity Agree All-Ireland Green Electricity Deal Worth €25m

Airtricity is to supply green electricity to Musgrave Group’s network of depots across Ireland in a deal worth Eur25 million. Under the terms of the contract, Airtricity will supply green electricity to all Musgrave Group owned facilities on the island of Ireland, both North and South and via an affinity scheme to its SuperValu, Centra … Read more

Record Number of Council’s Switch to Save

A record 27 local authorities have switched to leading independent energy provider Energia for their unmetered electricity supply since this market was opened last year. The local authorities making the switch include Dublin City Council, Cork City Council, Laois County Council, Louth, Carlow County Council, Kilkenny County Council, Monaghan County Council, Wexford County Council and … Read more