The Environmental Protection Agency has announced that it is proposing to grant a licence to Dublin City Council for the operation of its incinerator at Poolbeg in Dublin.
The EPA has said its preliminary view is that the plant should be licenced, subject to 109 conditions. A 28-day public consultation period now follows, after which an oral hearing may be held.
Residents opposed to the incinerator believe the proposed EPA licence could undermine the financial viability of the facility.
Frances Corr of the Combined Residents Against Incineration said she welcomed the EPA stipulation that all material had to be extensively pre-treated prior to incineration.
She contended the council had not prepared for such a system and this would have major financial implications.
Ms Corr was supported by Green Party Chairman, Senator Dan Boyle, who added the EPA announcement was the first time a statutory agency had identified that waste policy was changing.
However, in a statement Dublin City Council said it will not experience any problems with the EPA condition, as the roll-out of a three-bin system of separating waste will meet the requirements.
Earlier this week, An Bord Pleanála granted planning permission for the same facility, which will be the largest municipal incinerator in Ireland.
The only remaining procedural hoop is to secure permission from the Commission for Energy Regulation.
The preliminary go-ahead is set to make today another bad day in a very bad week for the Environment Minister John Gormley, who has said his policy objective is to make Poolbeg redundant.
Fine Gael has accused him of being 'hapless and helpless', while Labour says he is the first politician to find he had less power in Government than in Opposition.
