People Power will Fight New Meath Power Plant

Sinn Féin County Council Candidate, Sinéad Burke has hit out strongly against the proposed Power Plant planned for the Dunmoe area of Meath between Navan and Slane. Viridian Power are planning to build a Peaking Power Station on 6 acres of land which will not only impact on a small rural community, but also the people of Slane and Navan. The proposed plant will be just metres away from the field where Royal Mushrooms Ltd are trying to build a mushroom compost plant. Locals are currently fighting the Royal Mushrooms development at An Bord Pleanála level.
Sinn Féin Representative Burke said "In December I met with two representatives from Viridian – they confirmed their plans for a Peaking Power Plant on Graigs Lane. This power plant will be run on diesel and will have an EPA licence for 365 days a year. It will contribute power into the national grid at peak times and will also be used as a back up energy source to Viridian's Wind Farms around the country. The site will be either accessed by the Graigs Lane or an entrance in Causestown, neither are suitable to carry industrial traffic. According to Viridian, the site will potentially be made up of 2 peaking power plants and two oil storage units, consisting of 2 x 56 MW gas turbine driven peaking units, generators, 4 stacks, ancillary equipment, water holding tanks, oil storage tanks, and an electrical connection point.
"It is outrageous that it falls to ordinary people to have to fight to keep developments of this nature from their doorsteps. The nearest house to this proposed plant will be 80 metres away. I have spoken to groups as far away as Mayo who have fought against these types of plants on their back door. It is cold comfort to know that Meath is not the only dumping ground in this country for heavy industrial developments. This land is zoned rural and therefore is entirely unsuitable for heavy industry.
"At the moment Viridian is in advanced negotiations around buying the land, they have not applied to Meath County Council for planning yet, nor have they applied for their EPA licence yet. Pre-warned is pre-armed in this case – the local people will be ready and will fight this proposed plant every step of the way. I am furious with this news. Yet again the people of this area are under siege from big business trying to put heavy industry into rural communities where they are not suitable. You can't turn in this part of the county without meeting an incinerator or industral plant that sticks out like a sore thumb. Royal Mushrooms got the shock of their lives when they tried to muscle in on this community - Virdian are going to get the same."