Irish Cement completes its switchover from fossil fuels in Limerick
IRISH Cement has formally switched away from its use of fossil fuels in favour of alternative substances in Limerick.
The Limerick Leader / Limerick Live understands the firm in Mungret has now formally phased out the old way it used to generate the building material, and replaced it with items like used tyres and solid recovered waste.
It comes two-and-a-half years after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted Irish Cement an operating licence.
In 2018, An Bord Pleanala gave Irish Cement permission for the construction of the buildings it would use to store the new materials.
Both the EPA and An Bord Pleanala decisions followed a long process, with much opposition to the plans in Limerick.
Two oral hearings took place into the proposals, the first of which was in 2017.
Joe Burke, researcher with Limerick Against Pollution (LAP), a community group which fought the Irish Cement plans, has now questioned if two of the stipulations which were placed on Irish Cement after it was given permission to build the storage units by An Bord Pleanala have come into effect.
These are that a special community fund be established to support facilities and services which may be of benefit to the local area.
This fund is to include an annual contribution per tonne of alternative fuels or raw materials used in the cement works.
Separately, a liaison committee will be put in place to keep communication lines between the council, the community and Irish Cement.
Mr Burke, who lives in Raheen said he had heard nothing about the fund or a committee.
“If that committee was set up, we could be having meetings and keeping the public informed,” he said.
Irish Cement declined to comment, while Limerick City and County Council did not return a comment at the time of going to print.