Dublin Waste-to-Energy Facility
The Dublin Waste-to-Energy Facility, also known as the Poolbeg Incinerator,[1] is a waste-to-energy plant serving the Greater Dublin Area, located on the Poolbeg peninsula. The plant is capable of producing up to 60 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 80,000 homes, and provide district heating for up to 50,000 homes in the Dublin area.[2] The facility will process up to 600,000 tonnes of waste per year.[3] Poolbeg accepted its first delivery of waste on the 24th of April 2017.[4]
| Dublin Waste-to-Energy Facility | |
|---|---|
 The Dublin Waste-to-Energy Facility | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Location | Poolbeg, Dublin |
| Coordinates | 53.341915°N 6.200809°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 2014 |
| Commission date | 2017 |
| Construction cost | €600m |
| Owner(s) | Covanta Energy |
| Operator(s) | |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Municipal solid waste (MSW) |
| Chimneys | 2 |
| Cogeneration? | Yes |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 60 MW |
| External links | |
| Website | Official Website |
The proposal to build an incinerator at this location provoked controversy since its inception in 1997 with concerns about traffic and emissions, but construction work finally started in 2014.
Incidents
On 8 June 2017, eleven people were admitted to hospital after an ‘uncontrolled release’ of lime inside the flue gas treatment area inside the plant.[5] Covanta, the operator of the plant, was ordered to temporarily cease the incineration process at the facility by the Health and Safety Authority.[6]
References
- Vivienne Clarke, Olivia Kelly (24 April 2017). "Poolbeg incinerator takes its first delivery of rubbish". The Irish Times.
- Sean Duke (9 August 2016). "An 'under the hood' look at Dublin's First 'waste-to-energy' plant". Science Spinning. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- "Covanta's Dublin, Ireland, WTE Facility Receives First Waste Delivery". Waste360. 24 April 2017.
- Daragh Brophy. "The controversial Poolbeg incinerator has taken its first delivery of waste". April 24, 2017. TheJournal.ie
- Sarah Burns, Jack Power (8 June 2017). "Eleven hospitalised after incident at Dublin's Poolbeg incinerator". The Irish Times.
- "Poolbeg operators told to temporarily cease incineration". RTÉ News. 9 June 2017.