Biogas objectors air concerns with Tuam Town Council

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN THE construction of a biogas facility on the outskirts of Tuam could put hundreds of the town's existing jobs at risk, according to some of the objectors against the proposal. Representatives of the Tuam Biogas Concern Group made the claims during a meeting with members of Tuam Town Council this week where they aired their concerns over the major development earmarked for part of the old Sugar Factory site on the Ballygaddy Road. Tuam businessman Bernie Hynes was granted planning permission for a biogas and anerobic digestion facility by Galway Co Council last month subject to a number of conditions. However 11 appeals calling for the development to be refused were subsequently lodged with An Bord Pleánala. Tuam Mayor Cllr Eamonn Kitt arranged the meeting after he was contacted by chairperson of the group John Joyce to hear further about Cllr Larry Bane's experience of visiting an anerobic digestion facility in Tuam's twin town of Straubing in Bavaria. Cllr Bane said there were three things that struck him following his visit to the Straubing facility. The first was the smell, the second was its location 6 km away from the town and the third was when he asked those who ran it whether it would be suitable for a residential area he was told no.[private] Keep it from public Local historian Dr Tony Claffey also visited the plant during the annual trip to Straubing. He said if the facility was properly managed then there was no problem but that there was always the risk of failure so therefore it was important to keep it away from the public. This is what he gathered from the visit and from those he spoke with. 'There was a smell, I wouldn't call it overpowering but there was a smell,' he told the meeting. Dr Claffey said he understood that the waste that fed the plant came from Straubing and its hinterland and he wasn't aware of it being brought in from other areas. Cllr Bane pointed out that he wasn't an expert on the facility and was unable to answer questions regarding whether or not the electricity produced was sold on or not. He said there were two ingredients fed into the facility, kitchen waste and shrubs. Dr Claffey also stressed that one of the key aspects of the Straubing facility is that is operated with the direct involvement of the local authority and is not a private company. The planning application submitted before last Christmas sparked an irate response from many local residents. The anaerobic digestion facility put forward by Bernie Hynes plans to turn organic waste, beet and silage into usable energy. Permission is for a reception building, weigh bridges, a composting building and four digester tanks. It will have a 40,000 tonne per annum capacity and will require a waste licence if it goes ahead. There will also be four storage tanks, a water tank and four combined heat and power engines. Well-run digester John Joyce believed what Cllr Bane had visited was a well run and dynamic digester in its simplest form. He said the plant proposed for Airglooney was a lot bigger and would be, he believed a co-digester rather an anaerobic digester. The objectors stressed that they were not against the construction of an anaerobic digestion facility in Tuam that would be run on beet and silage alone. 'The planning doesn't limit it to that,' said Mr Joyce, who believes the facility will have a detrimental effect on the Clare River, 50 metres away. He told the meeting that the group have met with some of the large employers in the Dunmore and Weir Road business parks who he says have concerns about possible airborne toxins from the proposed plant. Mr Joyce said the plant could put more than 800 local jobs in jeopardy for the sake of the creation of 13 new jobs. Cllr Eamonn Kitt questioned whether the Straubing facility was a co-digester and was told that it wasn't. John Joyce compared the Straubing facility to a butterfly and the Airglooney proposal to a killer wasp. Mayor Kitt said he contacted Bernie Hynes to alert him to the meeting but he was unable to attend. He said Mr Hynes had every right to request a similar meeting with the Town Council and the Mayor would organise one if asked to do so. He said that Mr Hynes stressed that his development will be using silage and beet as feedstocks for the production of gas as sludge would be useless. Séan Quinn, a member of the objecting group, said that silage is a very valuable product for farmers and he believed they would keep it for their own use rather than sell it to a digestion plant. Mr Joyce feared that the Tuam plant will be become one of three hubs in the country. He said he had requested copies of the pre-planning meetings between the applicant and the Council but was told that these are not available. Concerns were also expressed about the Tuam proposal by local vet Tom Maher who felt that if any bad smells are generated by the plant then no further pharmaceutical industries will locate to Tuam and it would also impact on house sales in the area. Slurry no good for energy Cllr Mary Loftus felt that her farming background left her well equipped to speak about the topic. She had discussions with Teagasc and ascertained that using animal slurry and sludges was of no use. 'It wouldn't light a candle,' she remarked, stating that the output from such feedstocks didn't compare with the higher yields achieveable from cut grass. 'I'm neither pro nor against. I'm simply saying that slurry and offal won't produce enough thermal heat for it to be viable,' said Cllr Loftus. One of those who is strongly opposed to the facility at Airglooney is Bernadine McElroy who operates First Impressions Montessori School close by. She says she has 20 children attending her business, three of whom have special needs and have respiratory problems. She had carried out a lot of research into similar facilities and doesn't see how she could continue her business if the Airglooney plant goes ahead. The ESB had confirmed in a letter to the opposition group that they have no involvement in the Tuam biogas facility. 'The creation of electricity is nothing to do with this plant. There is no evidence of discussions with the ESB given in the further information submitted by the applicant,' said John Joyce. He claimed there is no requirement for extra electricity in this region and that the main income from the plant would be through the gate fees charged. Cllr Tom Reilly was eager to point out to the objectors that members of Tuam Town Council were never consulted by the County Council regarding the application. 'When the decision was made, we had no input in it,' he remarked. No human sewage Applicant Bernie Hynes has previously insisted that there is no question of human sewage being used in the facility. The further information submitted before planning permission was granted said that the plant will form a key part of the county's and region's waste management infrastructure and will give smaller-scale producers of organic waste an alternative to landfill. Mr Hynes said he and his consultants have done everything they can to convince locals that the plant would be a welcome addition to Tuam. He believes that the renewable electricity that will be generated by the plant will help Tuam become more self-sufficient and attract further specialist industries. An Bord Pleánala will now examine all documents regarding the application and the information contained in the 11 appeals submitted by Bernadine McElroy, Mary Keating, Thomas Maher, Airglooney Residents Association, Connacht Wool Tuam Ltd, St Coleman's Anglers Association, Pat and Maurice Burke, Tuam Biogas Concern Group, Mary McDonagh, Gerry and Deirdre Donnellan and CPS Tuam. A decision is expected from the Planning Appeals Board in early December.[/private]