asked the Minister for Energy when he will request the ESB to establish a programme to ensure that all of the various ESB run power stations would install the necessary cleansing equipment and filters to ensure that the emissions from those power stations into the atmosphere do not contribute towards the problems of acid rain; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Power Station Emissions.
16.
Agreement was recently reached in Brussels on an EC directive on limitation of emissions of pollutants into the air from large combustion plants. ESB power stations, which are subject to this directive, have all the necessary equipment to enable total emissions to comply with the limits set down in this directive which is aimed at curbing the problem of acid rain.
Have the ESB recently acquired all the necessary equipment and will they conform with all the standards which have been the subject of debate for a number of years?
The principal requirement for Ireland is to maintain overall emissions of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide from large combustion plants within ceilings of 124,000 tonnes and 50,000 tonnes respectively. The limits set for Ireland can be met by the use of low sulphur coal at Moneypoint and by low sulphur oil and gas usage at other stations. It is very important to remember that if we had not secured the particular levels of 124,000 and of 50,000 the cost of compliance with the directive without the inclusion of those figures could have been of the order of £700 million from the Irish point of view.
I thank the Chair for allowing me to ask a second supplementary question. Do I take it that the threshold to which the Minister has referred does not mean that the ESB will be installing what are referred to as "scrubbers" for their power plants?
The Deputy can take it that the figure of £700 million which would be involved in the provision of these scrubbers would not be spent and it is not necessary to spend it. I can assure the Deputy that monitoring is being carried out at all times of the emissions of the sulphur dioxide from the plant in Moneypoint. Independent monitoring is being carried out. The emissions are well within the stringent levels set by Clare County Council as conditions for planning permission for Moneypoint and well within the levels set down in the new directive.
I would ask the Minister——
I am sorry, Deputy, we have now encroached on the time for Priority Questions. I call Question No. 49.
I ask for permission to raise on the Adjournment the question of the failure of the Minister for Finance to comply with the Labour Court recommendation in relation to the Office of Public Works employees who have been locked out of their employment and placed on part-time employment.
I shall communicate with the Deputy.