Irish Cement, the plant’s owners, originally proposed switching to alternative fuels at the Limerick plant in 2015, after successfully co-firing solid recovered fuel (SRF) at its Platin plant since 2011.
The company has yet to receive approval for its plan, however, and has faced stiff opposition from local residents concerned about the potential impact on the environment.
The Limerick plant currently uses petcoke and coal. Under Irish Cement’s proposals, the plant’s operating license would be changed to allow the burning of tyres, secondary liquid fuel – a blend of solvents used in industrial processes – and biosolids produced from waste-water treatment plants.
According to the company, no significant increases in emissions would result from the switch to alternative fuels.
“Experience in Europe, together with Irish Cement’s own experience over the past five year’s, demonstrates that emissions do no increase with the use of alternative fuels,” the company said in information booklet about the proposed fuel switch in December 2015.
