THE HEIGHT of the new chimney stack at the Great Island Power Plant is to be examined by an independent engineer following a meeting in the Brandon House Hotel at the weekend.
The meeting was attended by concerned residents from the Great Island area of New Ross and Peter Gavigan, the Project Manager for the new plant which is currently being constructed by SSE.
Prior to the meeting residents met with The Echo to raise their concerns about the site and in particular raise the issue of the height of the new chimney stack – which is their main bone of contention.
At Friday’s meeting in the Brandon House the residents voiced their concerns to Mr. Gavigan. Also among those in attendance was Owen Hegarty from Cheekpoint Residents’ Association, Tim Ryan, from TRLCO, Cllr. John Dwyer and Tony Flynn – representing residents from Ballykelly.
In addition to the chimney height other issues discussed at the meeting included problems with the road in terms of safety and damage to property.
One resident, Tony Mylett, highlighted those concerns to The Echo when we met with the residents in the days leading up to Friday’s meeting.
He said a gable and side wall of his house had cracked as a result of heavy machinery travelling along the road outside. He also said his well had been breached and that damage was done to the interior following work on the main water system.
Those points were reiterated by Mr. Mylett at last week’s meeting in the Brandon House.
Mr. Ryan said he received a less than satisfactory response to a report he made about Mr. Mylett’s problems.
According to residents who spoke to The Echo about last weekend’s meeting Mr. Gavigan highlighted the fact the EPA had granted an IPPC (Integrated Pollution, Prevention and Control) Licence and that the contractor was free to build according to the specifications granted.
One of the residents in attendance, Ingo Prause, said the top of the new chimney is only “a couple of metres above the level of his own house”.
When he spoke to this newspaper Mr. Prause also commented: “It doesn’t need an expert to see that I am in a direct line of the plume from the chimney because I am downwind of the stack and in the prevailing wind direction.”
One of the main points of contention for the residents is what they claim will be the danger posed to them and others in the area during times when the plant is running on diesel.
That point was highlighted by Mr. Ryan when he spoke to The Echo with the residents: “The crux of the problem is that although the EPA has approved the granting of an Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) licence the residents know that the plan is to run the power station as a gas fired, combined cycle gas turbine power plant (CCGT), but it also has a back-up to be able to run on gasoil for which provision is made for 11,000 cubic metres of gasoil to be stored on the site.”
The concern for the residents is that they believe the design of the chimney only allows for the plant to run on gas and not gasoil.
The licence states the plant has to be run on gasoil for certain periods to ensure that all systems are functioning safely, however, according to the residents no duration period of running has been specified.
“The emissions from gasoil are far greater than for gas but all emissions are stated in the licence application simply as the industry maximums allowable,” said Mr. Ryan.
He then suggested there was pressure on the EPA to grant the licence because of the plant being a ‘strategic infrastructure’ project.
While agreeing that it should be cleaner and more efficient than its predecessor Mr. Ryan commented: “The control of the plant is the critical thing. When burning gasoil, the flame temperature is kept artificially low by use of water injection which brings down the NOx content but which also makes the plant less thermally efficient.”
“Personally I am convinced that not sufficient regard was taken of the topography nor of the prevailing wind patterns,” he added.
The residents told this newspaper that Mr. Gavigan assured them the plant would only run on diesel in an emergency and would never run continuously on it, however, they are concerned that the gas supply will be secure and that the plans could change in the future.
When the residents spoke to this newspaper they also raised concern over speeding motorists going to-and-from the site and claimed they have been, on occasion, forced off the road by trucks.
The residents also welcomed the suggestion from Mr. Gavigan that an independent expert could be brought in to assess the stack and the air dispersion.
It was agreed that Mr. Ryan would locate such a person.
When The Echo contacted Mr. Gavigan about the residents’ concerns he was amenable to the phone call but said an official statement would be issued from SSE in relation to the matter.
However, no statement was received by the newspaper as we went to press.
