EPA approves Mungret alternative fuel licence

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally given the go-ahead to Irish Cement’s EUR10m plan in Mungret in Co Limerick, Ireland, to change its fuel burning practices. Originally, the EPA had granted a licence for the project in September 2019, but local protests and court hearings have delayed the modernisation project.

The company now intends to feed used tyres and solid recovered waste to its kiln, which it deems necessary for the future competitiveness of the plant.

The Mungret works still uses fossil fuels unlike Irish Cement's other cement plant in Co Meath. Irish Cement has reassured the local community that switching fuels "will be positive for the area and not negatively impact on air quality or the local environment."

In a statement this evening, factory manager Pat Robinson said: "The entire workforce in Limerick is delighted that there has been a positive conclusion to this extensive review process.

"The EPA decision today provides us with the opportunity to now switch away from the use of imported fossil fuels and play our part in achieving the 2030 alternative fuel target in the Government's Climate Action Plan.

"Important also is the fact that this decision will help secure the future of the factory and is an endorsement of all the hard work being done by everyone on the team."