Council wants more info on Tuam biogas plan

By SIOBHÃÂN HOLLIMAN PLANNING officials of Galway Co Council are seeking a significant amount of further information regarding the controversial proposal to build a biogas plant on the edge of Tuam. The applicatio,n lodged just before Christmas, has caused huge concern among local residents and over 90 submissions and objections were received relating to the project. [private] The anaerobic digestion facility is earmarked for part of the old Tuam sugar factory site in Airglooney and is being put forward by local businessman and entrepreneur Bernie Hynes. Permission is sought 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. The biogas and anerobic digestion facility would turn beet, silage and other organic waste into useable energy. Council planners want extra information on a number of issues concerning the application in order to make a decision on the proposal. A number of objectors, including the Tuam Anglers' Association, raised concerns regarding the impact of the facility on the River Clare and the local authority is seeking an independent assessment to ensure that the development doesn't exacerbate flooding in the area or detract from the flood plain associated with the River Clare. An emergency plan for the containment of hazardous and odorous materials in the event of an emergency or failure during the transportation of materials to and from the site will also have to be submitted, along with a quantitative risk assessment. The likelihood and risk associated with the formation of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and any other harmful by-products on human health and the environment must also be formally assessed. Before it makes a decsion Galway Co Council wants to see evidence of where the technology has been used for a similar plant, using similar feedstocks, and the resulting odour levels. Significant information has also been sought regarding the disposal of wastewater from the site. The application claims that the proposed Airglooney facility has the capacity to power about 1,700 homes or 85 per cent of the households in Tuam. The Council is seeking documented evidence of preliminary consultations with the ESB regarding the proposal. Mr Hynes has also been asked to prepare an internal traffic management plan in consultation with the existing users of the industrial site and adjoining lands to ensure the traffic entering and exiting the site uses a dedicated route and to minimise potential collisions. It's understood that compiling the response to the Council's request for further information will take some time and a decision is now unlikely until closer to the summer. [/private]