Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 January 2013
615. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will investigate the damage caused to human health by industries namely the ESB and a multi national alumina industry named in the European Environmental Agency report in November 2011, revealing the cost of air pollution from industrial facilities in Europe [57847/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraIndustrial installations operating in Ireland such as those mentioned in the question are subject to the licensing, monitoring and enforcement requirements of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) regime. The activities of companies operating with an IPPC licence are monitored by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ensure that the terms of their licences are respected, including in relation to emissions. Under the EPA Acts 1992 to 2011, I am precluded from exercising any power or control in relation to the performance by the EPA of its licensing functions in specific cases.
In addition to the requirements of IPPC, Ireland developed a national emissions reduction plan (NERP) under Article 4 (6) of the Large Combustion Plant Directive (LCPD) 2001/80/EC to further reduce emissions from power plants. The NERP is a mechanism that allows “existing plant”, as defined in the Directive, to achieve the environmental objectives of the Directive in a cost-effective manner through the installation of abatement measures at selected qualifying plants. The NERP option was chosen because it provided both an environmentally ambitious and a cost-effective compliance route for Ireland. The ESB and other national operators made a commitment to achieve emission limits for SO2 and NOx from existing plants that were significantly more ambitious than the minimum requirements of the LCPD: in the period from 2008 to 2016, emission reductions are 27% more ambitious for SO2 and 46% more ambitious for NOx emissions.
The EEA study referenced in the question did not assess whether the emissions of a given installation are consistent with its legal requirements. Monitoring undertaken by the EPA has shown that total emissions from IPPC licenced installations are consistently below the levels prescribed to ensure adequate protection of human health and the environment.
