1 ringaskiddy vol

Vol1

Non-Technical Summary

November 2008

RingaskiddyWa s t e - t o - e N e R g y Fa c i l i t y

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an environmental impact statement (eis) has been prepared for indaver for its proposed waste-to-energy facility, at Ringaskiddy in county cork, as part of an application for planning permission. the eis comprises four volumes. the four are as follows:

Volume 1 — Non-technical summary

Volume 2 — environmental impact statement (Main text)

Volume 3 — Figures

Volume 4 — appendices

This document is Volume 1, the non-technical summary.

Non technical summary

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Ringaskiddy Waste Management Facility — eis

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www.ringaskiddywastetoenergy.ie

1 introduction 4

2 the Proposed Waste-to-energy Facility 4

3 Planning Procedure 10

4 environmental impact statement 10

5 consultation 10

6 Need for the Project 11

7 site selection 13

8 consideration of alternatives 14

9 construction activities 14

10 Human Beings 15

11 Roads and traffic 17

12 Noise and Vibration 19

13 air Quality 20

14 climate 22

15 landscape and Visual assessment 23

16 Flora and Fauna 27

17 soils, geology, Hydrology, Hydrogeology and coastal Recession 28

18 effluent generation and treatment 30

19 archaeology, architectural and cultural Heritage 30

20 Material assets 31

21 other impact Headings, cumulative impacts and interactions 31

22 summary 32

23 Viewing and Purchasing the environmental impact statement 32

contents

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1 introductionindaver proposes to construct a waste-to-energy facility at Ringaskiddy in county cork, for the treatment of industrial, commercial and household wastes and the recovery of energy. the facility will also include a waste transfer station.

The Developer

indaver NV is the Flemish parent company of indaver ireland. indaver NV is a waste management company that specialises in integrated waste management for industries and households. this involves recycling, treating and disposing of both domestic and industrial waste.

indaver operates throughout europe with business enterprises in Belgium, the Netherlands, italy, Portugal, Poland, ireland and the United Kingdom. in 2007, indaver managed over 1.5 million tonnes of hazardous and non-hazardous waste at the company’s waste recovery and disposal sites. indaver is experienced in building and operating waste-to-energy facilities. large-scale plants are managed in antwerp, Doel and leuven, Belgium.

indaver ireland was established in 1999 to develop waste infrastructure in ireland. indaver is currently constructing a waste-to-energy facility in county Meath, and operates an ePa licensed waste transfer station in Dublin Port for the export of hazardous waste.

indaver NV has always been a leader in terms of the environment, compliance with legislation, quality, health and safety and transparency. indaver NV was awarded iso 14001, an international standard in environmental excellence, over 15 years ago. these certifications are independently audited on a regular basis to ensure company compliance. an integral part of iso is clear and regular communications with members of the public, customers, suppliers and regulatory authorities. indaver is committed to permanent and open dialogue regarding environmental matters.

the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility will involve an investment of up to €150 million, and is expected to be operational in 2013. Up to 320 will be employed in the construction phase and 57 when the facility is operational.

2 the Proposed Waste-to-energy Facility

Site

the site for the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility and transfer station is situated at the north-eastern corner of the Ringaskiddy peninsula and occupies an area of approximately 12 hectares. the site is flat for some distance from the northern boundary but rises steeply as one approaches the southern boundary. the site encircles the Hammond lane Metal company premises. Refer to Figure 1

immediately to the south and west of the site, the land is in agricultural use. the main road from Ringaskiddy village forms the northern boundary of the site. cliffs along the shore and the West channel form most of the eastern boundary. other neighbouring land uses include the Hammond lane Metal company which processes waste steel, and the National Maritime college of ireland and warehouses are located across the public road to the north of the site. the centre of Ringaskiddy village is located approximately 1km to the west of the site. the Ringaskiddy peninsula is industrial in character, with a number of pharmaceutical companies having large manufacturing plants in the area. Refer to Figure 2.

indaver has previously secured planning permission and an ePa waste licence for a waste management facility on the site. the new application comprises an industrial hazardous and non-hazardous waste-to-energy plant and waste transfer station, similar to the previous proposed development on the site, and in addition, a municipal waste-to-energy plant.

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Figure 1: Site Location

Figure 2: Aerial Photograph showing site outline

Figure 3: Aerial photograph with image of proposed development.

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Overview of the Development

the proposed facility will comprise a waste-to-energy facility and transfer station for the treatment of industrial, commercial and household wastes and the recovery of energy. Refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4.

Waste-to-Energy Facility this facility will consist of:

• a fluidised bed incinerator for the treatment of solid hazardous and non-hazardous industrial waste and other suitable wastes and a liquid burner (or post combustion chamber) (Pcc) for the treatment of industrial and other liquid wastes, such as solvents, and aqueous waste,

• a grate incinerator for the treatment of residual municipal waste and other suitable wastes, and

• a waste transfer station for the bulking up and safe packaging of industrial and household wastes.

the fluidised bed incinerator will treat solid hazardous and non-hazardous industrial and commercial wastes and waste water treatment sludge or industrial sludges. the liquid burner (or post combustion chamber) will treat hazardous industrial solvent and aqueous wastes including chlorinated wastes. together, these technologies will provide a treatment solution for a majority of the industrial waste currently exported for incineration abroad.

the combined thermal capacity of the fluidised bed incinerator and the post combustion chamber will be 50MW.

the grate incinerator will treat non hazardous household, commercial, industrial and other suitable waste. the line will also be able to treat the residues from mechanical-biological treatment of waste, if these residues become available on the irish market. the technology will be robust and will be able to capture energy from the outputs of mechanical-biological treatment such as waste derived fuels. the thermal capacity of the grate incinerator will be 50MW.

it is expected that the waste-to-energy plant will operated 24 hours per day, seven days a week and, typically, between 7,500 and 8,200 hours per year. there will be planned shut downs for maintenance. Waste acceptance will be limited to the hours 09.00 to 19.00 on week days and 09.00 to 14.00 on saturdays.

Waste Transfer Stationthe waste transfer station will complement the waste-to-energy plants by bulking up material and presenting it in a suitable state to ensure maximum efficiency for the plant. any material not suitable for treatment within the facility will be suitably packaged for treatment off site.

the waste transfer station will accept waste from 09.00 to 19.00 on week days and 09.00 to 14.00 on saturdays. Work at other activities may be undertaken in the transfer station outside these hours.

Figure 4: Site layout Plan

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Plant Capacityindaver is applying for planning permission for a maximum combined capacity of 240,000 tonnes per annum for the waste-to-energy facility. this is designed to treat the waste streams in the market in 2013 and future years. the technology in this development will allow for the treatment of higher calorific value waste in line with future cork Regional Waste Management Plans. the development of mechanical-biological treatment processes that are designed to make a waste fuel with high calorific value, will in turn decrease the amount of waste needed to run a 50MW plant. the tonnages of waste entering the facility is expected to decrease over time but the thermal capacity will remain the same.

Combined Heat and Power the thermal energy generated by burning the waste will be transformed into electricity using a conventional steam cycle.

the location of the waste-to-energy facility on the Ringaskiddy Peninsula provides an ideal opportunity to distribute this steam/hot water to satisfy local industrial heat demand, via a district heating network. indaver has received funding from sustainable energy ireland to investigate the potential for combined heat and power. However, this will be subject to a separate approvals process.

Main Features of the Development

Waste Transfer Stationthe main elements of the transfer station will be as follows:

• service yard and parking area for trucks, road tankers and 12 metre containers,

• warehouse,

• tank farm,

• tanker loading bays, and

• drum wash and repack building.

ancillary features associated with the transfer station will be an administration building and car parking, a fire water tank and a pump house, a surface water retention tank, nitrogen generation and storage, and a packaged sewage treatment plant.

liquid drummed material that is suitable for treatment onsite will be transferred into storage tanks with the drums or containers then being cleaned. these drums or containers will either be returned to the customer for re-use or sent for recycling. the material that has been bulked up in storage tanks will be transported to the waste-to-energy facility by road tanker. solids may be repacked prior to incineration onsite. Materials for recovery will be repacked where necessary and exported to the appropriate facilities. Material that is not suitable for recovery, or for incineration on site, will be prepared in lots for shipment to the appropriate disposal facilities abroad.

Waste-to-energy Facilitythe main elements of the waste-to-energy facility will be as follows:

• main process building,

• 85metre high stack,

• turbine hall, a service yard,

• security building, and

• laboratory.

ancillary features of the waste-to-energy facility will include:

• tanker unloading bays,

• truck loading bays for ash and residues,

• tanker sampling bays,

• firewater storage tanks and a pump house,

• storm water/ firewater retention,

• weigh bridges,

• radioactivity detector,

• pipe rack,

• nitrogen generator,

• fuel oil storage tank,

• electrical compound,

• emergency access, and

• public footpath.

an effluent pipeline may be required, depending on which flue gas treatment option is chosen. if it is required, the pipeline will be laid underground along the road adjacent to the northern site boundary as far as the junction with the loughbeg Road, and it will extend along this road to connect to the main Ringaskiddy public sewer and ultimately discharge to the Dognose Bank outfall, subject to statutory approvals.

the design of the proposed facility has been optimised to include the most up to date emissions control and flue gas cleaning technology. the waste-to-energy process (or incineration with energy recovery) will consist of a number of process elements:

• waste intake, acceptance and storage,

• combustion process,

• energy recovery process, and

• flue gas cleaning including dioxin and furan removal.

WasteIntake

indaver will implement procedures, similar to those which are currently in operation at other indaver facilities, to control the acceptance, testing, approval and if necessary, the rejection of incoming wastes.

Waste will be received in different ways at the waste-to-energy plant, depending on the nature of the waste stream.

trucks carrying solid waste will unload in an enclosed reception hall, discharging the waste to a bunker.

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the bunker will be compartmentalised, with separate compartments for different types of waste. the reception hall and bunker will be under negative pressure to ensure that there will be no emissions of odour. the bunker will have sufficient capacity to allow the plant to accept waste during periods when the incinerator will be shut down for maintenance and to allow operations to continue over weekends and longer periods without deliveries.

the waste will be transferred by crane from the bunker via hopper to the relevant furnaces. it may be necessary to shred some of the larger pieces of waste prior to feeding to the hopper.

liquid wastes will be unloaded from road tankers and pumped to storage tanks. Different categories of liquids will be stored in separate tanks. the liquids will be pumped from the storage tanks to the post combustion chamber. some liquid wastes will be pumped directly from a road tanker to the post combustion chamber.

Combustion Process

FluidisedBedFurnaceandPostCombustionChamber

the fluidised bed furnace will be used to burn hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste and sludge. in the fluidised bed furnace, the waste will be introduced onto a bed of sand which will be agitated or ‘fluidised’ by an upward movement of air through a bottom plate.

the post combustion chamber, which will operate at a temperature up to 1100ºc, depending on the characteristics of the waste being treated, will be installed after the fluidised bed. all liquid wastes will be directed to the post combustion chamber.

the operating capacity of the fluidised bed furnace and post combustion chamber will be determined by the calorific value of the waste, rather than a set tonnage. the capacity of the furnace will be equivalent to a throughput of approximately 80,000 tonnes per annum of hazardous and non-hazardous waste. solid waste and high moisture content wastes such as sludge will be handled in the furnace. the post combustion chamber capacity will be equivalent to a throughput of approximately 20,000 tonnes per annum of hazardous liquid wastes.

MovingGrateFurnace

a moving grate furnace will be used to treat non-hazardous waste. Waste from the bunker will be fed to a hopper, which will feed the moving grate furnace. the moving grate mechanism will transport the waste slowly from the feed point to the ash bunker. the waste will be held in the furnace for approximately one hour to ensure complete combustion.

the operating capacity of the moving grate furnace will be determined by the calorific value of the waste and will be up to 140,000 tonnes per annum of non-hazardous waste.

Energy Recovery

the hot flue gases from the post combustion chamber or moving grate furnace will be directed through a steam boiler to generate steam. there will be a boiler on each furnace line. the steam from the two boilers will drive a turbine, which will drive an electricity generator. approximately 25MW of electricity will be generated, of which approximately 22MW will be exported to the national grid.

Gas Cleaning

all combustion processes lead to the formation of oxides of nitrogen. these will be controlled in two ways. the combustion processes in the furnaces will be optimised to minimise the oxidation of nitrogen in the combustion air and the furnace materials will selected to ensure optimal flue gas temperature. ammonia solution or urea will be injected into the flue gases in the first section of each boiler. this process uses the reaction of ammonia and nitrogen oxides at high temperature to convert nitrogen oxides to nitrogen and water vapour.

each furnace will have dedicated flue gas cleaning systems. two flue gas cleaning options are being considered for each furnace line in compliance with Best available technology guidelines. For the fluidised bed line the two options are ‘wet plus purge’ (this is a wet gas cleaning option with a discharge) or ‘semi-wet plus wet’(this is a wet gas cleaning option without a discharge). For the moving grate line the options being considered are ‘wet plus purge’ (this is a wet gas cleaning option with a discharge) or ‘semi-wet’ (this is a wet gas cleaning option without a discharge).

the flue gases from the boiler will be cooled down in the evaporating spray tower prior to treatment in the flue gas cleaning system. Water produced in the various processes will be used in the spray towers. if the ‘semi-wet’ flue gas cleaning technology is chosen, lime will be injected into the spray tower to remove acid gases.

activated carbon or activated clay will be injected into the flue gases leaving the spray towers. Dioxins, furans, other trace organics and heavy metals will be adsorbed onto the activated carbon particles. the flue gases will then pass through a baghouse filter which will remove dust, salts and the carbon particles from the gases.

the gases will be cooled and, in the case of ‘wet plus purge’ or ‘semi-wet plus wet’, will pass through a wet scrubber system to remove sulphur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride and heavy metal residues. in the ‘wet plus purge’ option, the scrubber effluent will be collected for treatment and discharged off-site. in the option without a purge, the scrubber effluent will be recycled to the spray tower.

the exhaust gases will be reheated and discharged through the 85m stack. the stack emissions will be monitored as required by the eU Waste incineration Directive and in compliance with the waste licence.

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Ash and Solid Residues

there will be three solid residues from the waste-to-energy plant. the approximate quantities are given below:

• bottom ash, 5,232 kg/hour (dry weight),

• boiler ash, 549 kg/hour and

• flue gas cleaning residues, 1,611 kg/hour to 3,007 kg/hour (depending on the flue gas cleaning option chosen).

the bottom ash will be a non-hazardous material and may be suitable for use in road construction. Ferrous metals such as steel will be recovered from the bottom ash for recycling. subject to testing, the boiler ash will be non-hazardous and will be disposed of to landfill. it is expected that the flue gas cleaning residues will be classified as requiring disposal in a hazardous waste landfill. it will be exported for disposal to a hazardous waste landfill, until a suitable facility is developed in ireland.

Health and Safety Measures

the operation of the waste-to-energy plant will involve hazards associated with the handling of combustible materials, chemicals and high-pressure steam.

the following measures (based on the experience of the successful operation of indaver’s plants in Flanders, Belgium) will be implemented to ensure safety and minimise the risk of emergency situations.

• the plant design will be carried out by skilled people according to internationally recognised standards, design codes, legislation, good practice and experience.

• the design will be reviewed to check for safety hazards.

• Backup systems for pumps, control systems, power supply, monitoring equipment, instruments etc will be provided for critical situations.

• Fire detection and fire fighting systems will be installed.

• the design will comply with irish Building Regulations Part B Fire safety and indaver’s insurance company’s requirements.

• a thorough interlock system will automatically shut down the plant in a safe manner in the event of failure of key equipment.

• the installations will be commissioned according to a schedule that will provide for the testing of safety systems.

• the installations will be inspected by safety officers before start up.

• the installations will be well maintained and cleaned.

indaver will apply strict rules on safety such as a Permit to Work system, training of operators and staff, and provision and use of personal protection equipment where appropriate.

Provision for Decommissioning

at the end of the facility’s useful life, which will be determined at a future date, the facility will be decommissioned and the site will be restored in accordance with a closure and residuals management plan that will be developed by indaver and approved by the ePa.

Site Management

When fully operational it is expected that 57 staff will be employed at the facility. some of the staff will be on shift, as the facility will operate 24 hours per day. employed personnel will be split between the following functions:

• management and administration,

• operations,

• maintenance,

• quality control and assessment, and

• shift operators for the waste-to-energy plant.

initially, senior managerial staff will be sourced from experienced personnel either in Belgium or ireland. all other staff will be recruited locally prior to start-up and fully trained in their duties.

Regulatory Control

indaver will require a waste licence from the environmental Protection agency to operate the plant. the facility will be an establishment to which articles 6 and 7 (i.e. the lower tier requirements) of the eU Directive 96/82/ec, control of Major accidents involving Dangerous substances (also referred to as the seveso Directive), apply.

Implementation of Best Available Techniques

Best available techniques are techniques recommended by the eU for use in designing plants to minimise pollution.

Best available techniques have been included in the design of the waste-to-energy facility and will be applied in its ongoing operation and control. these include:

• plant management systems,

• plant safety systems,

• waste inspection, checking, testing and acceptance,

• waste handling and storage,

• choice of furnaces and flue gas cleaning systems,

• design, operation and control of the furnaces and flue gas cleaning systems,

• energy recovery and energy efficiency,

• optimisation of resource use, and

• handling of residues.

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3 Planning Procedurethe Planning and Development (strategic infrastructure) act 2006 (the ‘2006 act’) came into operation on 31 January 2007. the purpose of the 2006 act is to provide a streamlined procedure for planning applications for certain classes of infrastructure development. Under the 2006 act applications for major infrastructure projects must be made directly to an Bord Pleanála rather than to the local planning authority (in this case cork county council).

the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility corresponds to one of the classes listed in the seventh schedule of the 2006 act. the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility is of strategic importance to the state and the region and an Bord Pleanála has given notice that it falls within the provisions of the 2006 act. an environmental impact statement (eis) must be submitted with the application to an Bord Pleanála.

indaver has attended a number of pre-application consultation meetings with an Bord Pleanála as required under the act.

Planning permission is being sought for a period of 10 years.

4 environmental impact statementthe environment impact statement (eis) has been prepared to provide information on the possible environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the proposed waste-to-energy facility and to propose mitigation measures to reduce the residual impacts of the facility. the eis will be submitted with the planning application for the proposed development. this eis has been prepared in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended. Due regard has also been given to guidelines and advice notes for the preparation of environmental impact statements published by the environmental Protection agency.

5 consultationDuring the preparation of the eis, discussions were held with a number of parties in order to ensure that the environmental issues relating to the project were addressed.

indaver notified over 500 individuals and groups of the proposed development by letter in February 2008. the letter contained details of the proposed development and the pre application submission and procedures to an Bord Pleanala were outlined. the following groups were notified through letter in February 2008;

1. local government

2. cork county and city councils

3. carrigaline, cobh, Passage West town councils

4. government Departments

5. cork tDs, Members of seanad, MePs

6. Political parties

7. local and national business groups.

8. Ringaskiddy corporate neighbours

9. state and semi state bodies

10. local community groups in Ringaskiddy, Monkstown, shanbally, crosshaven, curraghbinny and carrigaline.

11. National and local environmental groups

12. local and national media

elected representatives for the cork region were invited to information days in March 2008.

Meetings were held with the cork local authorities. Meetings were also held with the waste management regional groups of neighbouring authorities. these were conducted during april and May 2008.

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the following bodies were informed of the ongoing eis and pre-consultation application before an Bord Pleanala in July 2008;

1. cork city and council councils,

2. cobh Urban District council,

3. environmental Protection agency,

4. Health and safety association,

5. an taisce,

6. Health service executive,

7. irish aviation authority,

8. cork airport authority,

9. Fáilte ireland,

10. arts council,

11. south western Regional Fisheries Board,

12. Port of cork company,

13. electricity supply Board,

14. Bord gais,

15. commission for energy Regulation,

16. Departments of communications, energy and Natural Resources,

17. Department of transport, and

18. Department of environment, Heritage and local government.

a public information meeting was held on the thursday 30th october 2008 to inform interested parties about the proposed development, the planning process and the ongoing preparation of the eis.

indaver intends to continue the consultation with the general public through letters, a detailed and easily understood project newsletter, an independent website with details of the eis and planning drawings, and a representative model.

6 Need for the Project

Policy Contextthe need for waste-to-energy as part of an integrated waste management strategy was reviewed with reference to the waste management, sustainable development, sustainable energy and climate change policy guidance at european Union, national and local level.

european Union, irish government and cork county council policy, as set down in the policy documents (referred to in chapter 6 of the eis), is to manage waste in an economical, sustainable and environmentally appropriate manner.

the policies can be summarised as:

• the ongoing and sustainable economic development of ireland requires the provision of an adequate waste management infrastructure,

• ireland should be self-sufficient in hazardous and non-hazardous waste management,

• to date, waste management in ireland has been dominated by disposal to landfill, this must change,

• there is no single solution to waste management and an integrated approach is required,

• waste generation should be minimised,

• materials should be reused, recycled or recovered,

• energy should be recovered from residual waste,

• waste-to-energy provides significant renewable energy benefits and fossil fuel offsets,

• disposal to landfill is the least desirable waste management option,

• biodegradable waste should not be landfilled,

• the amount of other waste going to landfill should be minimised,

• the producer or consumer should pay the waste management costs,

• waste should be managed as close to source as possible, and

• the risk of environmental pollution from waste must be addressed and alleviated.

the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility will conform to the eU, national and local policy objectives as follows:

• the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility will treat hazardous waste close to the source - county cork is by far the largest producer of hazardous waste in ireland,

• the facility will help to achieve the goal of ireland being self-sufficient in hazardous waste management,

• the facility will provide capacity to divert biodegradable solid waste and sludge from landfill,

• the facility will result in a considerable reduction in the amount of waste to be disposed of to landfill,

• the facility will provide an outlet for mechanical biological treatment residues and refuse derived fuel

• energy will be recovered to generate electricity, which will be exported to the national grid

• the treatment capacity of the facility will be such that the incentive to minimised waste generation will be maintained, and

• the highest emission control standards will be applied.

the current and draft cork county Development Plans do not give guidance on where waste-to-energy facilities should be situated. in giving its approval to the previous application, an Board Pleanala determined that the site was suitable for a waste-to-energy facility to treat hazardous waste.

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Scale of the FacilityResidual municipal solid waste and hazardous waste streams, combined with other industrial waste and sludges, are the waste streams most suitable for processing at the proposed waste-to-energy facility. the estimated quantities of waste suitable for the proposed development are given in table 1.

Industrial Waste StreamsHazardous Waste

the environmental Protection agency reported in the National Hazardous Waste Management Plan 2008 – 2012 that the general trend is for an increase in hazardous waste generation. a total of 47,854 tonnes hazardous waste was exported from ireland for incineration in 2006. of this 56% was industrial waste, including waste other than solvents and chemical waste. the Plan states that this was primarily waste from the pharmaceutical and chemical sector.

the need for a hazardous waste waste-to-energy facility as part of an integrated management approach is outlined in the Plan. if the Plan’s preferred waste treatment scenario which includes solvent recovery, co-treatment in cement kilns and waste-to-energy is achieved, then a minimum 50,000 tonnes of hazardous waste will need thermal treatment in a waste-to-energy facility in ireland by 2016. the Plan and eU, UK and Northern irish policies allow for the provision of an all island approach to the incineration of hazardous waste.

at this moment the Ringaskiddy facility is the only waste-to-energy facility in the planning process that is specifically designed to meet the requirement for incineration of the hazardous waste in the irish market.

Non-hazardous Industrial Waste Sludge

the cork sludge Management Plan recorded that 48,000 tonnes of industrial biological sludge was produced in county cork in 2000. Under the landfill Directive there are restrictions on landfilling this sludge. a significant portion of this waste stream is combustible in nature and suitable for acceptance at the proposed facility.

Non-Hazardous Industrial Waste

in 2002, 438,403 tonnes of industrial waste was generated in cork city and county. even allowing for onsite treatment and recovery of a large fraction of this waste, an availability of 20,000 tonnes of industrial waste for treatment at the proposed facility is not considered excessive.

Non-hazardous Municipal Solid Wasteit is estimated that 447,675 tonnes of municipal solid waste will be generated in cork city and county in 2013. assuming that the recycling rate increases to 50% in the cork region, 223,837 tonnes of municipal solid waste will require further treatment in 2013. Under the landfill Directive the percentage of biodegradable waste, which can be landfilled, will decrease from 75% in 1995 to 50% in 2013 to 35% in 2016, which means the waste cannot be landfilled.

Residual Waste Generation WTE (tonnes)MBT & WTE employed (tonnes)

Reference

Hazardous waste accepted at proposed facility

50,000 50,000 National Hazardous Waste Management Plan 2008 – 2012

MSW minus 50% recycling 223,837 - Waste Framework Directive Revision – Municipal Solid Waste recycling rate

Recovered fuel production 40% - 89,535 Average of recovered fuel production from MBT processes

Sludge 25,000 25,000 Cork Sludge Management Plan 2000

Industrial waste 20,000 20,000 Conservative estimated available industrial waste

Total waste stream available for acceptance at proposed WTE facility

318,837 184,535 Hazardous, MSW, sludge, recovered fuel, industrial waste

WTE facility capacity 240,000 180,000 Dependant on calorific value of the material

Table 1. The Estimated Quantities Of Waste Suitable For The Waste-To-Energy Plant Taking Into Account Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) And Non-MBT Scenarios

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Mechanical Biological Treatment Scenario

Mechanical biological treatment (MBt) of municipal solid waste may be introduced into the cork region by 2013. the residues from mechanical biological treatment will be a dry fraction and an organic fraction. Mechanical biological treatment of 223,837 tonnes of waste in 2013 would result in 89,535 tonnes of waste derived fuel residues. some of this would be suitable for used as fuel in solid fuel power stations or cement kilns. currently, however, there is no suitable solid fuel power station or cement kiln in the cork region and none are proposed. Because mechanical biological treatment residues have a higher calorific value than municipal solid waste, the capacity of the Ringaskiddy facility would be reduced to circa 180,000 tonnes per annum (including 50,000 tonnes hazardous waste).

Non-Mechanical Biological Treatment Scenario

the total waste available for incineration in 2013 will be 318,837 tonnes (including 50,000 tonnes hazardous waste) following 50% recycling of municipal waste. the waste-to-energy facility will have the capacity to treat 240,000 tonnes, of which 50,000 tonnes will be hazardous waste and significantly contribute to the landfill Directive in the cork Region.

7 site selection the site for the waste-to-energy facility was chosen in 2000, following a comprehensive site selection process.

When selecting an appropriate site for the proposed waste management facility, indaver specified a number of criteria, for example, industrial zoned land, proximity to the road network and availability of utilities. in addition, the relevant section of the following documents were used as a basis for establishing the other selection criteria for this project. the documents were:

• “site selection for New Hazardous Waste Management Facilities” published by the World Health organisation (WHo).

• “technical guidelines on incineration on land” — Basle convention.

a thorough search was conducted of all available lands in county cork that came within the defined site selection criteria. initially, a preliminary investigation was carried out on fourteen sites located around the county. Four sites were short listed, all located in the Ringaskiddy area. the chosen site best met the selection criteria.

in May 2008, an independent review of the site selection process.

the purpose of this review was to:

• assess the proposed Ringaskiddy site in the context of current internationally recognised criteria for the selection of a site for waste-to-energy facilities and to determine whether the site is still suitable as a location for the proposed waste-to-energy facility.

• Review any relevant changes which have taken place, or which are proposed to take place, between 2000 and 2008, and to determine if these would render the Ringaskiddy site unsuitable for the proposed development. such changes include:

• statutory - ePa approach to waste management

• Development - other existing or proposed in the area

• Proposed facility - design, layout and/or operational

this review determined that nothing of significance had arisen in the period since 2000, which would render the site unsuitable for the proposed development.

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8 consideration of alternatives alternative technologies considered for the waste-to-energy facility included alternative thermal treatment technologies, and other waste treatment technologies. When examining the types of technology that would be most appropriate for the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy plant, indaver considered a number of factors, including the characteristics of the irish waste disposal market, the types of wastes to be treated and technologies suitable for treating all waste streams.

indaver considered a range of energy recovery and flue gas cleaning technologies for the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy plant, with a view to optimising energy recovery and choosing technologies which would be well proven, robust, dependable and appropriate for the types of waste to be treated.

9 construction activitiesthe schedule for the construction and commissioning of the waste-to-energy facility is approximately 30 months, and approximately 8 months for the waste transfer station. the two facilities may be constructed simultaneously or the transfer station may be constructed first. it is anticipated that construction will commence in 2011.

it is likely that the construction workforce will be up to 320 people. temporary office accommodation and other construction facilities will be installed onsite for the construction phase. the construction compound and temporary car parking facilities will be located on site. if the waste transfer station is constructed at the same time as the waste-to-energy plant, it may be necessary to lease additional parking elsewhere in Ringaskiddy. a construction traffic Management Plan will be put in place prior to the commencement of the works.

a Health and safety Plan will be prepared which will address health and safety issues from the design stages through to the completion of the construction and maintenance phases. this plan will be reviewed as the development progresses.

it is envisaged that typical working hours during the construction phases will be 0700 – 1900 Monday – Friday, and 0700 – 1300 saturday. it may be necessary to work overtime or night shifts (including at weekends) at certain critical stages during the project. Working outside normal hours may be necessitated through considerations of safety or weather and sub-contractor availability. Heavy or noisy construction activities will be avoided outside normal hours and the amount of work outside normal hours will be strictly controlled.

site preparation will include re-grading of the site for the waste-to-energy facility and the transfer station, and excavation for foundations and underground water retaining structures. it is expected that rock will be excavated using rock breakers and blasting will not be required. all efforts will be made to minimise the quantities of materials being moved off site. it is envisaged that the excavated spoil will be used for bulk fill purposes on the site of the transfer station, and for landscaping the waste-to-energy site. However a surplus of 218,000 m3 of soil will require removal off site. this soil will be reused, where possible.

construction methods will be typical for a large industrial project.

During construction there will be the potential for local impacts and nuisance in the surrounding area due to noise, dust, mud and silt-laden run-off, additional traffic and visual impact from the earthworks, construction cranes etc.

a construction environmental Management Plan will be prepared and implemented with the objective of keeping disruption and nuisance to a minimum. Waste generated during the construction phase will be carefully managed according to the accepted waste hierarchy which gives precedence to prevention, minimisation, reuse and recycling over disposal with energy recovery and finally disposal to landfill. Measures will be taken to control rain water run-off and ensure mud and silt will not enter watercourses or the public road. Measures will be taken to minimise dust and maintain the site and surrounding area in a tidy state. Materials will be stored and fuels etc handled in a manner to avoid contamination of soil, surface water or ground water. spill control and spill response measures will be in place. construction noise will be kept to a minimum in accordance with the British standard Bs 5228. a traffic management plan will be in place to minimise disruption on the surrounding road network.

it is anticipated that with the proper construction management, there will not be any significant negative residual impacts arising from the construction of this development.

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10 Human Beings the impact of the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility on human beings in the hinterland of the facility, and in the cork area in general, was assessed.

Ringaskiddy Area Land Use and Future Trendsthe Ringaskiddy area has experienced industrial and port development since the 1970s. in the general area there are several large pharmaceutical manufacturing plants as well as other industries and the Port of cork. the land in the Ringaskiddy area, which is not occupied by industrial plants or port related businesses, is used for farming. the land is mainly in pasture with some tillage.

Based on past trends and the policies of the cork county Development Plan, it can be expected that industrial and port development will continue in Ringaskiddy. Residential development in Ringaskiddy and shanbally villages will be confined to that which is required to meet local needs. Residential and other development will continue around the lower Harbour, apart from in the areas zoned for protection. Ringaskiddy is expected to continue as an important tourist transit port. one consequence of this general development will be an intensification of industrial and port activity adjacent to Ringaskiddy village, and in the lower Harbour.

this development will take place regardless of whether the waste-to-energy facility is built or not. as the site of the waste-to-energy facility is zoned industrial, it is probable that it will be developed for pharmaceutical or chemical manufacturing, or port use, if the waste-to-energy facility does not proceed.

the site is currently unused. No economic activity will be displaced by constructing the waste management facility on the site.

cork Harbour is used for commercial fishing, aquaculture and recreational boating. there are a number of recreational and tourist amenities in the Harbour area.

Existing Similar Activities the activities, which will be undertaken in the waste-to-energy facility, will be of a similar nature to the solid and liquid waste handling activities in the pharmaceutical plants in Ringaskiddy. two Ringaskiddy companies currently operate incinerators in their plants. the technology and processes of the waste-to-energy plant will be similar.

Economic Contributionthe estimated overall value of the project, for both phases, is in the order of €150 million. the construction workforce is expected to peak at approximately 320. in addition, the project will support a significant number of jobs off-site, in construction industry suppliers and services providers. it is estimated that there will be approximately 57 full-time staff employed in the waste-to-energy facility. the employment provided will make a substantial contribute to the economy of the south cork area, directly and in the consequent supply of goods and services.

Human Healththe impact of the waste-to-energy facility on human health was assessed.

it has been hypothesised that exposure to dioxins and furans (either directly via inhalation or indirectly via the food-chain) is responsible for some cancers in communities around incinerators. However, epidemiological studies on the older generation of incinerators, that emitted significantly greater amounts of dioxins than newer facilities, have failed to identify such an effect.

given that the emissions of dioxins and furans from modern thermal treatment facilities are orders of magnitude lower than from older incinerators, it can be said with some confidence that any potential impacts of dioxin and furan on cancer rates in local people are extremely small or non-existent and unlikely to be quantified through epidemiology.

existing background levels of dioxin in the area, and in the country in general, are relatively low by international standards and viewed in this regard, the projected dioxin emission levels due to the proposed project are considered to be negligible and as a consequence the cancer risk as a result of the project is considered to be negligible. this is confirmed by the WHo, which stated regarding dioxins that “thereisalevelofexposurebelowwhichcancerriskwouldbenegligible”.

available studies have typically examined respiratory health around the older generation of incinerators. Most are based upon self-reported symptoms and therefore may be subject to self interpretation. Many of these studies are, by their nature, historical and refer to toxic or industrial burning processes that virtually all pre-date modern technology and the associated large decreases in emissions. they also pre-date current regulatory restrictions on allowable emissions such as the eU air Quality Directive and the eU Waste incineration Directive.

Modelling for emissions of particulate matter, in the form of particulate matter (dust) less than 10 microns (PM10) and less than 25 microns (PM2.5) in size, does not support any likelihood of a detrimental health effect.

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two comprehensive reviews of the literature are the publication by the irish Health Research Board on Health and environmental effects of landfilling and incineration of Waste and the publication by the UK Department of the environment, Food and Rural affairs entitled a Review of the environmental and Health effects of Waste Management. the HRB report did not draw any conclusions. However the UK report concluded:

“Welookedindetailatstudiesofincinerationfacilities,andfoundnoconsistentorconvincingevidenceofalinkbetweencancerandincineration.Thereislittleevidencethatemissionsfromincineratorsmakerespiratoryproblemsworse.Inmostcasestheincineratorcontributesonlyasmallproportiontolocallevelsofpollutants.”

there has been nothing published in subsequent literature which would significantly change this position. overall, there is little evidence to suggest that waste incinerators are associated with the increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms in the surrounding population. this is consistent with the data from risk assessments, emissions and ambient air monitoring in the vicinity of incinerators, which indicate that modern, well-managed facilities make a very small contribution to background levels of air pollution.

the fact that the proposed facility will be operated in accordance with the strict terms of the eU Waste incineration Directive, means that emissions will be lower than from practically all facilities assessed in publications reviewed, reducing even further any possible risk.

all information available on the Ringaskiddy facility indicates that all emissions will be well within the statutory air Quality standards. these provide strong evidence that there will be no deleterious effect on human health either in the immediate vicinity or in the wider context, due to its operation.

Other Impacts on Human Beingsthe site will have a more industrial ambience than it does at present. consequently there will be an impact on recreational walkers on the shore adjacent to the site and on the boat traffic in the West channel.

there will be no significant impact on agriculture in Ringaskiddy or in the region surrounding the lower Harbour. as there are a number of large process plants and two hazardous waste incinerators in operation in the Ringaskiddy area already, the impact on property prices, if there is any, is expected to be minor and prices are expected to recover once the plant is operational.

the beneficial economic impacts of the development include:

• between 150 and 200 site jobs for approximately two years, peaking at approximately 320,

• indirect jobs created in the off-site construction services providers and material suppliers

• 57 permanent jobs on site and a substantial contribution to the economy of south cork through wages and salaries and purchase of goods and services when the facility is fully operational.

Mitigation Measuresto mitigate the traffic noise impact on recreational amenity for walkers, and boats using the West channel, the gradient of the internal road to the reception hall has been made as gentle as possible, while fitting within the site boundaries. the eastern and northern boundaries of the site will have screen planting. a path will be provided on the eastern and southern sides of the site, from the boundary near the shoreline to the boundary close to the Martello tower.

Residual Impacteven with the proposed mitigation measures, the site will have more of an industrial character than it does at present, and there will be a significant residual impact on the recreational amenity of the site and its immediate vicinity.

the jobs created during construction and operation, and the contribution which indaver and its employees will make to the local economy, will be a significant positive economic impact.

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11 Roads and traffic

Existing Road NetworkRingaskiddy is situated on a peninsula to the south east of cork city. the N28, a national primary route, is the main road into Ringaskiddy. it links Ringaskiddy to cork city and beyond, via the lee tunnel. the N28 has been designed to accommodate high volumes of traffic, serving the ferry port and the various industrial developments in the area. the R613 links Ringaskiddy with carrigaline, via coolmore cross Roads, and allows access to a number of industrial plants along the route. the R610, which joins the N28 at Raffeen Bridge, links the Ringaskiddy area with Passage West and Monkstown, and the cross-river ferry to great island.

there are a number of key junctions in the Ringaskiddy road network, which control the flow of traffic. these are:

1. shannon Park Roundabout,

2. Raffeen Bridge Junction,

3. shanbally Junctions,

4. Ringaskiddy Junction (N28/R613),

5. Ferry Port access, and

6. Haulbowline Bridge.

the above junctions were analysed using the suite of computer applications designed by the transport Research laboratory (tRl) in the UK. the assessment was carried out using year 2008 traffic flow information for a number of time periods including 07: 45 – 08: 45, the morning peak period and 16: 30 – 17: 30, the evening peak period.

Existing Traffic in Ringaskiddyan 18-hour (0600-2400) traffic count was undertaken at all of the junctions listed above on tuesday 2nd april 2008. Five time periods were identified as having the most significant impact by traffic generated by the proposed development. the five time periods were:

• construction Morning Peak (06: 00 – 07: 00)

• construction evening Peak (18: 00 – 19: 00)

• operational Morning Peak (07: 45 – 08: 45)

• operational Development Peak (13: 00 – 14: 00)

• operational evening Peak (16: 30 – 17: 30).

the counts showed that traffic flows during the construction morning peak period are quite low and the proposed construction operating times are designed to coincide with these low traffic flows to minimise the potential impact of the development. the operational morning peak is the busiest time period for traffic accessing the Ringaskiddy area. this analysis aided the traffic management designed to ensure the development will not significantly add to traffic.

Existing Public Transport, Cycling and Pedestrian Provisionthe No. 223 bus route links Ringaskiddy with cork city via Passage West, and Monkstown. the service runs at irregular intervals throughout the day. there are no dedicated cycle facilities in the Ringaskiddy area. there are no footpaths on the road at the proposed site entrance. However footpaths are located along both sides of the road through Ringaskiddy village.

Base Year Trafficthe Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility is expected to be operational by 2013, with peak construction occurring in 2012. to assess the impact of the traffic generated by the facility, the base traffic on the road network in 2012 and 2013 was calculated. Background traffic levels for 2012 were established by applying an 11.8% growth rate over 4 years to traffic counts undertaken in 2008 and background traffic levels for 2013 were established by applying a 13.4% growth rate over 5 years to traffic counts undertaken in 2008 at each junction and road on the network.

Traffic Generated by the Ringaskiddy Waste-to-energy Facilitythe Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility will generate traffic during the construction phase and during the operation of the facility.

Construction Phase

the construction phase will generate heavy goods vehicle traffic and commuter traffic. at the peak of the construction activity, 7 heavy goods vehicles per hour are expected to arrive at the site. the peak workforce will be 250 workers on the day shift and 70 workers on the night shift.

shift start and finish times will be set at 07.00 and 19.00, respectively, to ensure that construction workers avoid the Ringaskiddy morning peak traffic period. allowing for car sharing and other modes of transport, it is expected that 165 cars will arrive at the start of the day shift and 58 will depart from the night shift. it is estimated that a total of 34 construction related vehicles will arrive and depart to coincide with the 07.45 to 08.45 Ringaskiddy morning peak hour, and 55 vehicles will arrive or depart to coincide with the Ringaskiddy evening peak hour. the above projected traffic flows include heavy goods vehicle movements, workforce traffic and general site traffic.

Operational Phase

During the operation of the facility, there will be a maximum of approximately 106 trucks entering and 106 trucks leaving the site per day generated by the waste-to-energy plant and the waste transfer station. car traffic will be generated by the workforce and visitors to the facility.

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the majority of staff at the facility will work normal office hours, 09.00 to 18.00. For shift workers, the day shift will start at 07.00. thus the working hours will be set to ensure that daytime and shift workers arrive and depart outside the Ringaskiddy road network morning peak hour.

the waste transfer station and the waste-to-energy plant will only accept waste from 09.00 to 19.00 on weekdays and on saturday mornings. this will ensure that heavy goods vehicle traffic will arrive at, and depart from the facility outside the Ringaskiddy morning peak period. the experience from an indaver waste-to-energy plant in Flanders, Belgium, is that heavy goods vehicle traffic does not arrive and depart at a uniform rate throughout the day, but experiences a site peak hour which is approximately 12% of the total. in addition, experience from indaver’s waste transfer station in Dublin Port indicates that the rate is not uniform over the year, with up to 13% of the yearly total being processed in the peak month. these variations were included in the predictions of heavy goods vehicle traffic generated by the facility.

When the traffic generated by the facility in each hour is calculated, it is apparent that the facility experiences a traffic peak from 13.00 to 14.00, which does not coincide with the Ringaskiddy road network peak periods.

Traffic Impactthe traffic generated by the facility was added to the traffic expected on the road network in 2012, for construction traffic, and 2013, for operational traffic.

Construction Traffic Impact

the construction workers will travel to the site before the Ringaskiddy morning peak hour. the morning peak period for construction traffic will be the period leading up to 07.00 hours. the impact assessments indicate that, with the addition of construction traffic, all of the roads and all of the junctions in the area will operate within capacity. However, there may be some short duration queuing of eastbound traffic at the shanbally roundabout in the morning construction peak.

Operation Phase Traffic Impact

When the facility is operational, there will be three traffic peaks. these will arise due to the waste acceptance times and shift change over times of the facility, and to natural variations in trip generation profiles. the peak hour in terms of the traffic generated by the facility will be the 1300 -1400 period. assessments were undertaken for this time period and the morning and evening Ringaskiddy road network peaks.

these assessments show that in the Ringaskiddy morning peak period, 07.45 to 8.45, the traffic from the facility will increase traffic on the road network by between 0.4% and 4%, on the general road network and 9% on the N28 east of the Ferry Port entrance. in the lunch time period 13.00 to 14.00, which will be the peak period for traffic generated by the facility, the increase in traffic on the road network will be between 1% and 15%, on the general road network and 27% on the N28 east of the Ferry Port entrance. in the Ringaskiddy evening peak period 16.30 to 17.30, the increase in traffic on the road network will be between 0.3% and 4%, on the general road network and 8.9% on the N28 east of the Ferry Port entrance.

it is expected that during both the construction and operational phases of the proposed development, traffic queues may continue to develop at shanbally Roundabout particularly during the morning peak period. cork county council in conjunction with the NRa has developed plans to construct a new “off-line” dual-carriageway from Bloomfield to loughbeg. it is expected that the construction of this new roadway will improve the operation of a number of junctions in Ringaskiddy including the shanbally Roundabout.

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12 Noise and Vibration a noise and vibration impact assessment of the proposed facility has been carried out.

the noise impact assessment study for the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility had five elements, as follows:

• a survey of the existing noise environment in the vicinity of the site,

• characterisation of noise emissions from the plant and equipment,

• characterisation of noise emissions from truck and car movements on site and on the public roads,

• Prediction of the noise levels at sensitive receptors, and

• assessment of the impact of the noise emissions.

Background noise levels were measured at four locations close to the site. these were the car park at the north-eastern corner of the site, on the road at the entrance to nearest residence, at a new housing development to the west of the site and adjacent to the Hammond lane Boundary. Both daytime and night time noise measurements were taken. the daytime measurements were dominated by traffic noise. the night time measurements were influenced by plant and process noises, ship’s engines and distant traffic noise. the noise levels are what would be expected close to a busy road, in an industrial area. Baseline noise surveys found that the existing noise environment is determined by occasional road traffic, air traffic, shipping and birdsong.

Noise emissions from the plant and equipment were based on the measured emissions levels from similar items of plant and equipment at indaver’s waste-to-energy plants.

traffic noise emissions were calculated from the traffic generation figures derived in chapter 8 of the eis. the impact of traffic noise emissions and parking noise emission were calculated.

Mitigation measures will be implemented in the design of the facility to ensure that noise from the facility will be within the waste licence limits. these will include:

• plant will be sited as far away from noise-sensitive locations as is practicable,

• duct mounted attenuators on the atmosphere side of all air moving plant,

• splitter attenuators or acoustic louvers providing free ventilation to internal plant areas,

• anti-vibration mounts on all reciprocating plant.

the computer modelling software Predictor was used to model the emissions of noise from the plant and to determine resulting noise levels at ten receiver locations in the vicinity of the site. the noise level predicted at the nearest residential receivers were 23dB(a) to 32 dB(a) leq. the noise limits expected to be imposed in the waste licence for the facility are a night time limit of 45dB(a)leq 15min and a day time limit of 55dB(a)leq 1hr. these are the standard noise limits which the ePa imposes on industrial facilities to protect residential amenity. the predicted noise levels at the residential receptors are well within these limits.

the noise at the nearest residential receptor when noise, generated by truck movements is combined with plant noise, is predicted to be 40dB(a)leq 1hr.

the increase in noise levels, due to the additional traffic generated by the waste-to-energy facility, at the main road junctions in the Ringaskiddy area was calculated. the increases range from 0 to 0.5 dB la10. an increase in noise level of this magnitude is imperceptible.

During the construction phase there may be a slight, temporary noise impact on nearby residences from site traffic and construction plant operating on site. once the plant is operational there will be no significant noise impact on nearby residences.

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13 air Quality the likely impact of the proposed development on air quality was assessed.

Introductionthe scope of the study consists of the following components:

• Review of maximum emission levels and other relevant information needed for the modelling study;

• identification of the significant substances which are released from the site;

• Review of background ambient air quality in the vicinity of the plant;

• air dispersion modelling of significant substances released from the site;

• Particulate deposition modelling of Dioxins & Furans, Polycyclic aromatic Hydrocarbons (PaHs) and heavy metals released from the site;

• identification of predicted ground level concentrations of released substances at the site boundary and at sensitive receptors in the immediate environment;

• a full cumulative assessment of significant releases from the site taking into account the releases from all other significant industry in the area;

• evaluation of the significance of these predicted concentrations, including consideration of whether these ground level concentrations are likely to exceed the most stringent ambient air quality standards and guidelines.

Existing Air Quality in Ringaskiddyan extensive baseline survey was carried out in the region of the proposed Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility over the period November 2006 to February 2007 and from april 2008 to July 2008. the survey focused on the significant pollutants likely to be emitted from the facility and which have been regulated in council Directive 2000/76/ec. the substances monitored were Nitrogen Dioxide (No2), Nitrogen oxides (Nox), total Dust (as PM10 and PM2.5), benzene, sulphur Dioxide (so2), heavy metals, Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) and Hydrogen chloride (Hcl) and Dioxins/Furans (PcDD/PcDFs). the air monitoring program was used to determine long-term average concentrations for these pollutants in order to help quantify the existing ambient air quality in the region. No2, benzene and so2 were also monitored at a number of additional locations to give some spatial representation of the levels of these species.

levels of nitrogen dioxide (No2), dust with a particle size of less than 10 microns in diameter (PM10) and less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), sulphur dioxide (so2), benzene, hydrogen fluoride (HF) and hydrogen chloride (Hcl) were all significantly below their respective limit values, or, in the case of PM2.5‘ the limit value proposed for 2015. average concentrations of antimony (sb), arsenic (as), cadmium (cd), cobalt (co), chromium (cr), copper (cu), mercury (Hg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), thallium (tl) and vanadium (V) measured were also significantly below their respective annual limit values.

there are not any eU limits values for background levels of dioxins and dibenzofurans in the air. levels of these substances were compared to the levels measured elsewhere in ireland and europe. the existing levels in Ringaskiddy are comparable with other rural locations in ireland.

Emissions from the Ringaskiddy Waste-to-Energy Facilitythe main source of emissions to air from the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility will be the furnaces. the facility will operate under a waste licence issued by the environmental Protection agency (ePa). the emissions to air will be controlled under the licence. the emission limits imposed by the licence are expected to be as stringent as the limits on emissions in the eU Directive 2000/76/ec on the incineration of waste. the Directive has also outlined stringent operating conditions in order to ensure sufficient combustion of waste thus ensuring that dioxin formation is minimised. indaver is committed, as a minimum, to meeting all the requirements of council Directive 2000/76/ec. indeed, due to the advanced post-combustion flue gas cleaning technology employed, expected average emission values will be lower than the maximum values used in the impact assessment.

Computer Modelling of the Dispersion of the Stack Emissionsthe waste licence will set limits to the emissions from the stack of the waste-to-energy plant. However, the air quality in the vicinity of the plant will also depend on how the plume from the stack is dispersed. the facility has been designed to ensure that the ground level concentrations of the substances emitted from the stack will be well below the relevant limits for each substance.

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the european Union has set limits on the concentrations of particular substances in the air to ensure that the air is of an acceptable standard to safeguard human health and the environment. typically there is a limit on the concentration for a short term such as one hour and a lower limit is set for the annual concentration. Where there is no eU standard, the World Health organisation or UK standards are used as appropriate.

computer modelling of the dispersion of the plume from the stack was undertaken to determine the ground level concentrations of the substances emitted. the main computer model used was the aeRMoD PRiMe model. this model is approved for use for dispersion modelling by the irish ePa and is the regulatory model which is approved by the United states environmental Protection agency (UsePa). the UsePa has published a series of guidance documents on air emission dispersion modelling and its methodology was followed in the modelling study for the Ringaskiddy plant.

the inputs to the aeRMoD model include:

• the characteristics of the stack emission plume

• the weather conditions in the area

• the topography of the surrounding area

• whether the area is urban or rural

• the shapes and heights of buildings on the site.

an additional model, calPUFF, was used. calPUFF can model all possible meteorological conditions and can take into account the fact that the site is on the coast, adjacent to a body of water.

in order to assess the possible impact from the proposed facility under maximum and abnormal operations, a conservative approach was adopted that is designed to over-predict ground level concentrations. the approach incorporated several conservative assumptions regarding operating conditions at the proposed facility. this approach incorporated the following features:

• emissions from all emission points in the assessment (including the cumulative assessment) were assumed to be operating at their maximum emission level, 24 hours/day over the course of a full year. this represents a very conservative approach as typical emissions from the proposed facility will be well within the emission limit values set out in the Waste incineration Directive.

• For all operating scenarios, it has been assumed that the emission points are operating for 24-hrs/day over the course of the full year.

• Maximum predicted ambient concentrations for all pollutants within a 10 km radius of the site were reported in this study even though, in many cases, no residential receptors were near the location of this maximum ambient concentration. concentrations at the nearest residential receptors are generally significantly lower than the maximum ambient concentrations reported.

• Worst-case background concentrations were used to assess the baseline levels of substances released from the site.

• Worst-case meteorological conditions over the period 2003 - 2007 from cork airport have been used in all assessments. the worst-case year with regard to the annual mean was selected for modelling (2006). the annual mean concentration using year 2006 meteorological data was 10% higher than the average of the five meteorological year files.

as a result of these conservative assumptions, there will be an over-estimation of the emissions from the site and the impact of the proposed facility on human health and the surrounding environment.

the model calculated ground level concentrations for eleven parameters over a radius of 10km from the site.

as the region around Ringaskiddy is partly industrialised and thus has several other potentially significant sources of pollutants, a detailed cumulative assessment was also carried out using the methodology outlined by the UsePa.

Results of Modelling and Comparison with Air Quality StandardsBased on the emission guidelines outlined in council Directive 2000/76/ec, detailed air dispersion modelling has shown that the most stringent ambient air quality standards for the protection of human health and the environment are not exceeded either as a result of operating under maximum or abnormal operating conditions.

the modelling results, using both the UsePa regulatory model aeRMoD and the more advanced calPUFF model, indicate that the maximum ambient ground level concentrations occurs at or near the facility’s northern and north-eastern boundaries. the spatial impact of the facility is limited with concentrations falling off rapidly away from the maximum peak. For example, the short-term limit values at the nearest residential receptor will be less than 21% of the short-term ambient air quality limit values. the annual average concentration has an even more dramatic decrease in maximum concentration away from the facility with concentrations from emissions at the proposed facility accounting for less than 2% of the limit value (not including background concentrations) at worst case sensitive receptors near the facility.

in the surrounding areas of cobh, carrigaline and Monkstown, levels are significantly lower than most background sources with the concentrations from emissions at the proposed facility accounting for less than 2% of the annual limit values for the protection of human health for all pollutants under maximum operations of the facility.

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14 climatethe impact of the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility on the climate and on ireland’s production of greenhouse gases (gHg) was assessed.

ireland ratified the United Nations Framework convention on climate change (UNFccc) in april 1994 and the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. the objective of the convention is to prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference in the climate. the focus is on anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. anthropogenic refers to greenhouse gas emissions and removals that are a direct result of human activities or are a result of natural processes that have been affected by human activities. the burning of fossil fuels is one such activity. For the purposes of the eU burden sharing agreement under article 4 of the Kyoto Protocol, ireland agreed to limit the net anthropogenic growth of the six greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol to 13% above the 1990 level over the period 2008 to 2012.

the inter-governmental Panel on climate change (iPcc) recently published climate change 2007: Mitigation, contribution of Working group iii the Fourth assessment Report of the intergovernmental Panel on climate change. in chapter 10 - Waste Management, the report assesses the various waste management practices from the viewpoint of greenhouse gas emissions. the report concludes that “becauselandfillsproduceCH4fordecades,incineration,compostingandotherstrategiesthatreducelandfilledwastearecomplementarymitigationmeasurestolandfillgasrecoveryintheshort-tomedium-term”.

specifically, in relation to waste incineration, the report remarks that “comparedtolandfilling,wasteincinerationandotherthermalprocessesavoidmostoftheGHGgeneration,resultingonlyinminoremissionsofCO2fromfossilCsources,includingplasticsandsynthetictextiles”. in relation to energy recovery, the report states that “thermalprocessescanefficientlyexploittheenergyvalueofpost-consumerwaste”. (cH4=methane, c = carbon)

the main greenhouse gases, with climate change potential, which will be emitted by the facility, are carbon dioxide (co2), methane (cH4) and nitrogen dioxide. to assess the climate change impact, the net effect of the facility on the generation of these gases in ireland was calculated.

the facility will treat up to approximately 240,000 tonnes of waste per annum and export 22MW of electricity to the national grid.

if the facility is not built, approximately 180,000 tonnes of this waste will be landfilled in ireland, with the remainder exported for incineration abroad. organic waste in a landfill decomposes and produces gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. a landfill will continue to emit gases for over 100 years, long after the landfill has been closed. By incinerating the waste, prior to landfill, the emission of these gases will be avoided.

if the facility is not built, 22MW of electricity will be produced in a power station in ireland. the emission of combustion gases from the production of 22MW of electricity in a combined cycle gas turbine power station was calculated. the net emissions of greenhouse gases from the facility, when the emissions from the generation of 22MW of power in a fossil fuel power station have been subtracted, will amount to 0.014% of ireland’s Kyoto Protocol target in 2013. since the generation of power by renewable systems is expected to increase over the long term, from 2018 to 2040, the percentage will be approximately 0.023% of the 2008 – 2012 target.

the power generation comparison has assumed the most environmentally advance technology for power generation rather than, for example, coal or peat fired plants, which would have much higher greenhouse gas emissions. the impact assessment is conservative as it ignores the reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases from the decomposition of waste containing fossil derived carbon, which will be incinerated at the facility rather than landfilled.

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15 landscape and Visual assessmentthe visual and landscape impacts of the proposed waste-to-energy facility on the surrounding area has been assessed.

impacts on landscape (character and features) and views are considered separately in the impact assessment. impacts on landscape character relate to changes in the particular identity of coherent landscape areas. impact on landscape features include the direct effects on the fabric of the landscape which may be affected by the development. impacts on views are where there are particular receptors (e.g. residential, recreational or road users) that will experience a noticeable change in their view due to the proposed development.

impacts on the character of the landscape include responses, which are felt towards the combined effects of the new development. the significance of impacts on the perceived landscape character will depend mainly on the visual experience of the landscape and on the number of people affected, but also on judgements about how much the change will matter.

the topography in the Ringaskiddy area is defined by ridgelines that typically run east to west. the site is located on the ridge which runs from the “golden Rock” headland at Ringaskiddy to carrigaline. Further ridgelines to the north and south define the visible extent of the local area. to the east, the views reduce with distance over cork Harbour and similarly to the west before reaching carrigaline.

the local landscape is heavily influenced by the nearby pharmaceutical facilities. other harbour related activities and the Harbour itself also form important elements of the overall landscape character. the site lies within the ‘cork city and Harbour’ broad landscape character type as defined within the cork county Development Plan 2003 and Draft Plan 2007. For the purpose of the assessment, the local area around the site has been further defined as within an ‘industrial Harbour’ landscape character area.

the site is situated on a north facing hillside, rising from a local road along the northern boundary. a Martello tower is located prominently to the south of the site on the ridgeline. the harbour bounds the site to the east. the site is currently covered in gorse and bramble scrub with some pockets of trees and open grass areas.

the site does not have a scenic amenity designation in the cork county Development Plan, 2003 or Draft county Development Plan 2007. However there are some surrounding areas within 2km of the site which are designated as scenic areas. additionally several of the local roads are designated as scenic routes. several of these areas and routes receive views towards the site.

the waste-to-energy main process building will be a very substantial building and the stack will be 85m high. the site, and the development on it, will be visible from numerous vantage points around the Harbour. the stack will be higher than the top of the ridge. the stack will be visible over a wider area than the site itself. the roof line of the process building will also be slightly higher than the ridge immediately to the south of it and consequently will be visible from some middle distance vantage points to the south. From the more distant vantage points to the south, the roof of the building will not be distinguishable.

Mitigation Measuresto mitigate the visual impacts, the form, height and cladding of this building has been carefully chosen to reflect the shape of the existing natural ridgeline, and to sit within it. the sloped, varying heights of the roof are at minimum heights to house the internal machinery. the cladding materials have been chosen to reflect the existing shades and tones apparent in the area. Darker banded sections are proposed towards the bottom of the building and lighter sections towards the top, with angled sections of different tones to reflect the angle to the ridge depending on whether the viewer is viewing from the north, south, east or west and what the predominant backdrop from that direction will be. Many shapes, heights and colour ranges were tested using a 3-dimensional model and photomontages. the grey colour palette worked best against the sky and sea and the darker greys and blacks against the landform. the banding across the building reflected the horizontal nature of the ridge particularly along the longer façade when viewed from the north. the breaking down of the facades and roofline also helped to reduce the overall appearance of scale of the building.

the overall strategy for the landscape planting proposals throughout the site is generally to utilise and emulate the favourable species that are already present on the site. Retaining as much vegetation as possible and also planting with the predominantly native species as found in the local area will blend the site visually with the surrounding established vegetation particularly when viewed from a distance. the landscape proposals also include screen mounding along the eastern and northern boundaries of the whole site. these will have an immediate screening effect, while vegetation alone will take a few years to establish. the planting will have a high percentage of the evergreen species for year round screening in particular pine which is found throughout the area. the mounds will be planted with predominantly native woodland species and over time as this establishes and grows in height the building will become even less visible.

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ImpactsDuring construction, the earthworks will create an area of bare soil and rock which will be quite noticeable in views of the site from the east, north and west. the bare soil and the cranes, other construction equipment, scaffolding and incomplete structural frameworks will have a temporary negative impact on view of the site from the east, north and west.

there will be a change in the appearance of the site, from the existing open land with the centrally placed Hammond industry, to the larger industrial elements of the waste-to-energy plant. as the woodland planting to the perimeter of the site establishes (after 5-10 years) the screening will increase and the character from the closest adjacent areas will appear as a more green area although the top of the building will be visible above the mounding and planting. From further away, the planting and mounding will have little effect.

initial impacts will be significant and negative on the adjacent local landscape reducing to moderate, negative impacts as planting matures. impacts on the landscape character of the greater cork Harbour area will be slight to moderate and neutral due to the existing mix of industrial elements within the area of the proposed development. overall the greater surrounding area is deemed capable of absorbing the development without changing the character of the industrial Harbour landscape.

the impact of the facility, on completion of construction, on views from the west side of spike island, the West channel, Rocky island, the south side of Haulbowline, Rock Farm, Hammond lane Metal Works, the Maritime college, a short section of scenic route a54 as it passes to the north of the site, gobby strand and White Point will be significant, permanent and negative. on views from the water, between the ferry port and Haulbowline, and from the Martello tower, the impact will be significant, permanent and neutral. the impact on views from Ringaskiddy Village, Monkstown and cobh will be moderate permanent and neutral or negative. From the more distant parts of the Harbour including Marloag point, aghada, camden, carlisle, currabinny Wood and the spit Bank, the impact on views will be slight, permanent and neutral or negative.

there will be lighting impacts at night-time. the most prominent will be from the low intensity lights on the stack and the lights visible through the windows from the inside of the building. although light will be introduced into a predominantly dark headland from the majority of viewpoints, the lights will appear to merge with the existing lights at cobh, Hawlbowline the port of cork or the Maritime college dependant on the direction of view.

the cumulative impact will be moderate, neutral and permanent.

Photomontages have been prepared to give an indication of the visual impact of the development from various vantage points in the vicinity of the site and around the Harbour. a selection of views of the proposed facility is shown in Figures 5 to 10.

Figure 5: View from Ringaskiddy Village

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Figure 7: View from Monkstown

Figure 6: View from Rocky Island

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Figure 8: View from Cobh Cathedral (day)

Figure 9: View from Cobh Cathedral (night)

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16 Flora and Faunaa flora and fauna impact assessment of the proposed development found that there will be no significant negative impact. there are no environmental designations pertaining to the site nor is the site likely to be designated in the future. the site is located within ten kilometres of a number of designated conservation sites. However these sites are some distance away and direct impacts on these sites are unlikely to occur as a result of the proposed development. the emissions from the facility will not result in significant indirect impacts on these sites.

surveys were carried out of flora and fauna on the site during the period from april to august 2008, and the National Parks and Wildlife service local wildlife ranger was consulted in relation to the proposed development.

an active badger sett is located in the north western section of the site and signs of badger activity were recorded in the southern section of the site. surveys indicate that there are no suitable bat roosting areas within the site boundary. Night-time bat activity surveys were carried out and common Pipistrelle was recorded foraging and commuting during the surveys. Due to proximity the seashore, the site could potentially be used by otters. However no evidence of their presence was recorded. signs of foxes were noted within the site and one probable den was recorded in the southern section of the site. a breeding bird survey was carried out and a total of 35 bird species was recorded during the survey.

the following habitats were found on the site:

• improved agricultural grassland

• Neutral grassland

• Wet grassland

• scrub

• immature woodland

• Broadleaved woodland

• conifer woodland

• Hedgerow and earth banks

• arable crops

• Dense bracken

the habitats were considered to be of low to moderate value. While a number of protected plant species are recorded in the 10km grid square in which the site is located, none were recorded during the surveys.

Mitigation measures will be implemented to reduce the impact on flora and fauna of the development.

the construction of the development will result in a loss of scrub/grassland habitat and a section of the line of non-native trees along the road. this in turn will reduce the area available for feeding and/or roosting for birds, mammals and insects at a local level. some additional habitat will be created by sympathetic landscaping of the site. it will be necessary to relocate to a new set the social group of badgers which currently uses the site and a proportion of their feeding habitat will be removed. the relocation of the badgers would require a licence from the National Parks and Wildlife service.

Figure 10: View from Fort Meagher (Camden)

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17 soils, geology, Hydrology, Hydrogeology and coastal Recession the existing environment of the site, in terms of geology, soils, surface water and groundwater, was analysed using data collected from a desk study, a preliminary soil and hydrogeological investigation undertaken at the site in 2000 and 2001 and from a coastal erosion and flood study undertaken in 2008. the potential impacts the development will have during both construction and operation on the existing environment were assessed.

Soil and Bedrockthe eastern boundary of the site is formed by 1m to 5m high cliffs and there are rock outcrops to the north and south. the southern rock outcrop is referred to as ‘golden Rock’. the site encircles the premises of the Hammond lane Metal company. the topography rises from north to south from circa 3m oD, close to the northern boundary to circa 41m oD close to the southern boundary. there is a steep escarpment, aligned in a north-east to south-west direction, in the centre of the site. anecdotal evidence suggests that the site was used as a source of material for land reclamation elsewhere in Ringaskiddy and that this accounts for the escarpment.

the site is located on the northern side of an east-north-east to west-south-west trending ridge known as the Ringaskiddy anticline. the site is underlain by lower carboniferous marine interbedded grey/brown sandstone, siltstone and mudstone referred to as the cuskinny formation of the Kinsale group. as the bedrock geology at this site is not limestone, there is no potential risk of solution features on the site. ‘lower carboniferous’ refers to rocks formed between 354 million and 325 million years ago.

cork was covered by ice up to approximately 20,000 years ago. the ice sheet originated in the cork/Kerry mountains and flowed eastwards and southwards into the celtic sea. as the ice moved eastwards it laid down crushed rock debris, known as boulder clay or till and this lies over the bed rock on the site and also forms the cliffs. the soil Map of ireland classifies the upper 1m of the soil profile in the area as acid brown earths.

the boreholes and trial pits excavated on the site indicated the bedrock to be between 0.3m and 5.5m below ground.

Groundwaterground water levels varied between 1m and 12m below ground level. groundwater vulnerability is a measure of the extent to which the soil overburden over an aquifer acts as a protective layer, in containing surface contamination and preventing it from the entering to the aquifer. Where the overburden is thinner, or of greater permeability, the vulnerability rating is higher. the vulnerability of the groundwater at the proposed facility is rated as ‘extreme’ where the cover of overburden is less then 3m. Where thicker overburden is present, the groundwater vulnerability rating is ‘high’. the aquifer is rated as ‘locally important’ but moderately productive. it should be noted that the rating does not take into account protective measures which may be in place to prevent surface contamination occurring or to prevent any such contamination entering the overburden.

Surface Waterthe site of the waste-to-energy facility is adjacent to the West channel in cork lower Harbour. surface water within the site appears to drain through channels along the field boundaries, following the natural slope of the ground, generally towards the north of the site. Drainage is poor close to the road where the ground is level, resulting in some ponding in this portion of the site. groundwater sampling and analysis, carried out during the site investigation, suggest that there is no soil or groundwater contamination.

Coastal Erosion AssessmentHistorical maps and aerial photography were used to determine the location of the top and toe of the cliff and the high water line over more than 100 years. the study determined that the centre and southern parts of the cliff line had receded westwards. in the northern part there had been deposition and the shoreline had moved eastward over the time period. the rate of recession of the cliff line could not be determined very accurately due to the limited data available. the rate of recession appeared to have increased over the last 50 years. the situation will be monitored and suitable measures will be taken if required.

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Flood Assessmenta desk study was undertaken to assess the likely level of potential flooding at the site. Data on several flood events in Ringaskiddy and cork city were reviewed. For a one in 200 year flood, a 1m rise in sea level and 0.5m freeboard, the design platform level of +4.55moD was determined. this design level would be above the predicted future flood level.

Construction Phase Impacts and Mitigationsome work below the existing ground levels will be required to construct the facility. it is intended, where possible, to reuse the excavated material on site. all excavated material, which cannot be reused, will be sent off site for reuse or disposed off to a licensed waste disposal site.

the construction management of the project will incorporate good construction management practices to minimise the risk of any pollution, including measures to minimise the risk of spillage that could lead to soil and groundwater contamination. any chemicals, oils, paints or other potentially polluting substances used during construction will be stored in properly bunded areas which will contain any spillage that may occur.

Mitigation measures will be implemented to ensure that surface water arising during the course of the construction activities will contain minimum sediment, prior to discharge to the surface water drainage system.

Operational Phase Impacts and Mitigationthere will be no direct discharges to soil or groundwater during the operational phase of the development and a number of measures will be incorporated into the design to ensure that the soils and groundwater on site are protected from any potential sources of contamination.

all storage tanks in the waste-to-energy facility will be bunded, as will drum storage areas and storage tanks in the waste transfer station. surface water runoff from the tanker unloading, direct injection bays and solvent storage tank bunds, in the waste-to-energy plant, will be collected. if contaminated it will be directed to the furnace or sent off site for disposal.

surface water from other hard standing areas of the waste-to-energy plant and waste transfer station will be directed to storm water retention tanks and tested before being discharged to the county council surface water drainage system. the retention tanks in the waste- to-energy plant and waste transfer station will also collect contaminated water that may result from a fire. Rainwater from the roofs of the waste-to-energy plant will be collected for use in the process. surface water from the car-parking areas in the waste transfer station will drain via a hydrocarbon interceptor to the local authority sewer.

solid wastes delivered to the facility will be stored in a waste bunker located below ground level. the waste bunker will drain to a sump, which will be designed to be water retaining. these mitigation measures will prevent any potential leakage of leachate from the waste to the soil or groundwater.

Regular monitoring of groundwater will take place, to detect any changes in quality during the operational phase of the development.

With the mitigation measures in place, the waste-to-energy facility is not expected to have a significant impact on the geology, soils, groundwater or surface waters. the facility is not expected to have an impact on the rate of coastal erosion or on flooding in the area.

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18 effluent generation and treatmentthe intended discharge will comprise treated wastewater from a flue gas polishing step and will accompany some small volumes of domestic wastewater treated to Urban Wastewater Regulation standards.

the treated process wastewater has been assessed under eU and national environmental quality rules and guidance. the eU guidance Notes for this sector suggest that what is proposed is in accordance with Best available technology. the treated effluent from similar flue gas cleaning systems has been discharged for many years from the waste-to-energy facility at antwerp operated by indaver. a very tight set of standards is proposed for the Ringaskiddy effluent and the track record is that these standards are consistently met.

the clear conclusion is that all of the current and proposed environmental quality standards can be met by the proposed treated discharge with a large margin of safety and that the capacity of the receiving water to accept this type of wastewater greatly exceeds what is proposed.

the treated wastewater will not have a significant impact on the waters of cork Harbour.

19 archaeology, architectural and cultural Heritagea baseline desk study and field investigation was undertaken to ascertain the archaeological, architectural and cultural heritage features of the area including the Ringaskiddy waste-to-energy facility site.

there are no recorded archaeological sites within the proposed development site, or along the route of the proposed effluent pipe. a section of the southern perimeter of the proposed development site falls within the Zone of archaeological Potential for a Martello tower. the Martello tower (co087-053---) is listed in the Records of Monuments and Places. the Record of Monuments and Places record was compiled in accordance with the National Monuments act 1994 and provides an updated list of all known archaeological monuments and places of archaeological interest, and is accompanied by a set of constraint maps. the Martello tower stands circa 70m to the south of the southern site field boundary. the enclosing wall of the Martello tower and ditch is circa30m to the south of the southern site boundary of the site. it is not proposed to develop the area within the Zone of archaeological Potential for the Martello tower. However, this area may be impacted during construction work if machinery is travelling through it. construction work on the site is not expected to cause vibrations which would impact on the Martello tower.

the first and second editions of the ordnance survey maps and the Record of Monuments and Places map for the area show a path extending north-east across the proposed development site from the enclosing wall surrounding the Martello tower to ordnance stones at gobby beach. the cartographic evidence suggests that the path was laid out at the same time as the Martello tower was constructed and is therefore considered to be part of the curtilage of the Martello tower which is a Protected structure. the documentary sources consulted do not mention paths associated with Martello towers. there is no surface indication of the ‘Martello’ path on the site. a comparison of the contours on the 1934 os map and the existing landscape indicates that ground levels were modified in the recent past on this site and the central section of the ’Martello’ path is likely to have been removed. However, evidence of the path may still remain below the surface at the south-western and north-eastern ends of the path where ground levels remain fairly undisturbed. there is no legal registered right-of-way along this path. the proposed development will impact directly on the area of the path.

a field investigation undertaken in 2001 identified an elongated earthen mound, located at the top of the escarpment to the south of the Hammond lane premises. exploratory excavation of the mound was undertaken under licence and supervised by an archaeologist. this indicated that the mound was of no archaeological significance.

the construction work on the site will involve ground disturbance that would impact on any potential archaeological material that may survive below the ground surface. a programme of targeted geophysical investigation will take place in order to assess the potential for sub-surface archaeological features on the site. the geophysical investigation will be agreed with the National Monuments section of the Department of environment, Heritage and local government. the geophysical investigation would be followed by a programme of licensed archaeological testing of any anomalies noted during the geophysical investigations. any programme of testing should be agreed with the National Monuments section of the Department.

in the event of archaeological material being uncovered full consultation with the Department of the environment, Heritage and local government will take place. National Monuments legislation (1930-1994) states that in the event of the discovery of archaeological finds or remains, the Department of the environment, Heritage and local government should be notified immediately and that any subsequent investigation should be facilitated and funded by the developer. any material recovered should be fully resolved to professional standards of archaeological practice (Policy guidelines on archaeological excavation—Department of arts, Heritage, gaeltacht and the islands).

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20 Material assetsan impact assessment of material assets was undertaken for the construction and operation phases of the proposed development. Material assets are defined by the ePa as resources that are valued and that are intrinsic to specific places, they may be either human or natural origin and the value may arise for either economic or cultural reasons. cultural heritage is addressed in section 19.

there are no known mineral resources located within the site boundary. the construction of the proposed development will necessitate the excavation of a large volume of material to achieve the required basement and floor and ground levels in the waste-to-energy plant. this material will be reused on site as engineering fill or for landscaping, where feasible. However 218,000m3 will be surplus to requirements and will be removed off site for reuse or disposal to a permitted site.

the proposed development will require services and utilities such as electricity, water, gas and raw materials. it will also generate small volumes of waste during the construction phase. During operations, ash and residues from the facility will amount to approximately 30% by weight or 10% by volume of the waste input. Use of utilities, resources and assets will be in accordance with good practice in energy efficiency and resource conservation. energy efficient power systems will be employed, water conservation measures will be implemented and wastes will be avoided, minimised or recycled where economically feasible. Rain water falling on roofs of the waste-to-energy plant will be collected for reuse in the process. energy will be recovered from the waste and 22MW of electricity will be exported to the national power grid.

the status of the site, as a lower tier site under with the seveso ii Directive, is not expected to have an impact on land use in the vicinity.

the development is not expected to have a significant negative impact on material assets. on the contrary, there will be a significant positive impact as the facility will reduce the volume of waste to be land filled, or exported for incineration, electricity will be generated and exported to the grid.

21 other impact Headings, cumulative impacts and interactionsthe main interactions between the recorded environmental effects are assessed within the individual chapters of the eis. For example, in chapter 9, AirQuality, the potential effects of emissions to air from the facility on human beings, flora and fauna and the climate during the construction and operation phases are addressed.

Potential cumulative impacts are also addressed in the individual chapters of the eis. For example, the cumulative landscape and visual impact of the facility in combination with the surrounding developments including the Port of cork and the large industrial plants in Ringaskiddy are addressed in chapter 12, LandscapeandVisual.

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22 summarythe waste-to-energy facility will have the capacity to treat a large portion of the hazardous waste, which is currently exported from ireland for incineration. it will also have the capacity to reduce substantially the amount of non-hazardous waste, including biodegradable waste, which is currently landfilled in the cork area. the capacity of the facility has been chosen to maintain the incentive to recycle and only residual waste will be treated. the waste transfer station will compliment the activity of the waste-to-energy plant.

energy will be recovered from the waste and 22MW of electrical energy will be exported to the national power grid. this will help reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.

the facility will cost €150million to construct. Up to 320 will be employed in the construction phase and 57 will be employed when the facility will be operational. there will be associated economic benefits to the cork region in the supply of materials and services, during both the construction and operational phases.

it is the intention of indaver to reduce any adverse effects of the project on the environment to a practical minimum. Where unavoidable adverse environmental effects have been identified during the impact assessment process, measures have been proposed to mitigate these effects where possible. Key mitigation measures include:

• Use of Best available techniques in the design, operation and management of the facility

• Flue gas cleaning systems which will reduce emissions from the facility to well below the Waste incineration Directive limits

• architectural treatment of the waste-to-energy building’s external envelop and form to minimise the visual impact of the building

• construction traffic and environmental management plans and dust control measures to minimise construction impacts

these will be adopted, as appropriate, throughout the construction and operation of the proposed development.

23 Viewing and Purchasing the environmental impact statementthe full environmental impact statement, of which this is a non-technical summary, can be viewed and purchased at the offices of:

an Bord Pleanála 64 Marlborough street Dublin 1

the Planning Department cork county council county Hall cork

the eis may also be viewed or down-loaded free of charge from the website specifically created by indaver for the planning documents: www.ringaskiddywastetoenergy.ie

it can also be requested by contacting indaver:

• via email [email protected],

• Free Phone 1800 200 646, or

• Free Post, licence No DN 5204, indaver ireland, 4 Haddington terrace, Dun laoghaire, co. Dublin.

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