An Coimisiún Pleanála has upheld a decision by Tipperary County Council to grant permission for a 98,000t anaerobic digestion plant on the former Lisheen Mine site in Tipperary.

The development, proposed by Nua Bioenergy Ltd, had initially been granted permission but was appealed by local landowner TJ Maher of Cassestown, Thurles, Co Tipperary.

Maher appealed the decision on several grounds, including the perceived devaluation of his land, which is close to the site, and concerns over potential odours and ammonia emissions. He also raised issues regarding the level of consultation with local landowners and the traffic that would be generated during both the construction and operation of the facility.

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More appeals

Two further appeals were lodged by Philip and Mary Bowe of Killoran, and David Hogan and Mary Anne Cantwell-Hogan of Moyne, Thurles, Co Tipperary.

Their concerns centred on perceived omissions from the environmental impact assessment, the nature of the feedstock, cumulative environmental impacts, odours, traffic, flooding, and the potential for land devaluation.

The Coimisiún cited several reasons for granting permission, including the development’s consistency with the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act, the brownfield nature of the site, the landscape context, the site’s proximity to the national road network, and the mitigation measures proposed by the developer.

Feedstock

The plant is to be built on the former Lisheen Mine site and will process 98,000t of feedstock annually to produce biomethane gas, which will be injected into the national gas grid as a renewable replacement for natural gas.

It is proposed that the plant will require 8,000t of wholecrop silage, 30,000t of farmyard manure (including straw–horse manure and pulverised straw), 30,000t of belly grass sludge, 15,000t of dairy sludge and dewatered manure, and 15,000t of broiler manure as feedstock each year. Digestate will be returned to the farms that supply crop-based feedstocks.

Other plants in the area

The 13.5ac site is located close to an operational sludge AD plant, as well as a proposed BioProducts Campus, which includes an AD facility and a compost and growing media production plant.

The plans for the new development include four primary and three secondary digester tanks, feed hoppers, three storage clamps, two storage sheds and a single-storey fertiliser processing and storage unit. Once operational, the facility is expected to create between four and six permanent jobs.