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Tag Archives: biomass

Stonehall bioenergy plant decision upheld by An Bord Pleanála despite local opposition

AN BORD Pleanála this week upheld a 2021 decision by Clare County Council to grant planning permission  for a bioenergy plant in Stonehall. The development has seen significant opposition in the area going back to 2012, when Clare County Council first opted to rezone the site.  When a planning application was made to the Council there were numerous objections, and when the Council approved it further appeals were made to An Bord Pleanála, whose decision this week will be met with disappointment in the area. The decision allows for the construction of a biomass processing and storage area, a gasification and methanation plant for the production of biofuels and a gasification and combined heat & power plant for production of electricity and heating. There would also be a battery storage facility and a thermal energy recovery and storage facility for district heating distribution, along with a new access road. On Tuesday Councillor PJ Ryan said there is still strong opposition. …

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Beat the rush with sustainable farming project in Clare

WAR and spiralling costs have put the focus firmly on our dependence on fossil fuels and accelerated the pace of the hunt for alternatives. In East Clare, a pilot project looking at the potential of ‘biomass’ is nearing a conclusion and exciting results are set to boost the case for the use of organic matter, like rushes, as fuel and fertiliser. The Biomass to Biochar project, headquartered close to Mountshannon, is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020. It has been investigating the treatment of biomass created from rushes to turn it into what is called ‘biochar’. a charcoal-like substance which can work as a fertiliser. Briquets for domestic use have also been developed. Farmers are paid to supply rushes and can qualify for carbon credits. Not only that, but the urgency of investing in carbon removal, in the interests of the climate change, has …

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Council approves Clare biomass facility, despite opposition

CLARE County Council has given approval for a multi million euro biomass combined heat/power plant in Stonehall, despite numerous objections including one from the local national school. Carbon Sole Group Ltd received planning permission for the development, which will also include a gasification and methanation plant for the production of advanced biofuels and a thermal energy recovery and storage facility for district heating distribution. The company claims it is an environmentally friendly development, which will benefit the local area. While the County Council have now approved it, it is open to those in opposition to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanála, and given the volume of objections, it seems very likely this will happen. The site in question was owned by the Shannon Airport Authority at the time planning permission was sought, but in a letter to the Council, it said it had agreed to sell it to Carbon Sole. In a video on the Carbon Sole website, CEO …

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Application made for Stonehall biomass plant

AN application has been made for the development of a bioenergy plant at a 3.5 hectare site in Stonehall. At the moment the site in question is owned by the Shannon Airport Authority, who have consented to Carbon Sole Group Limited making the application. Back in 2012, Clare County Council voted to rezone land to allow Carbon Sole to develop a green energy faciity in the Stonehall area, despite strong local opposition. While no objections to the new proposal have been lodged to date, it would certainly not be a surprise if that changes before the November 3 deadline for submissions. Among the items that would be included in the development would be a biomass processing and storage area utilising forestry products, a Gasification and Methanation Plant for the production of advanced biofuels, a Gasificaiton and Combined Heat Power Plant, a thermal energy recovery and storage facility and a new 38kV substation. In essence the new development would see bioenergy …

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Euro candidate says Moneypoint biomass plan could work

ANTI pylon campaigner and Ireland South Euro candidate, Kieran Hartley, has claimed that converting the ESB Moneypoint plant to a biomass-burning facility could secure jobs, help the environment and reduce the cost of imported American coal. “I know from leading the national anti-pylon and industrial wind turbine campaign that we need to take dramatic initiatives to avoid the building of thousands of giant pylons and windfarms across the country, while working to meet our commitments on sustainable energy,” he said. The European election candidate maintains that such a move would secure the future of Moneypoint as an integral part of the nations energy infrastructure and preserve jobs there. “A recent report by a leading UK energy expert Malcolm Brown showed how Ireland’s target of having 40 per cent of energy needs met by renewable sources by 2020 could be met in a single stroke if Moneypoint was converted from coal to biomass,” Kieran Hartley claimed. “This would save over €3 …

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