Planning for east Mayo biogas facility to be submitted in late spring

A PLANNING application for an agri biogas renewable energy project in east Mayo is due to be submitted to Mayo County Council in March or April.

If given the green light by planners, the Swinford project will involve an investment of €12.5 million, creating six to eight jobs, and putting €1 million back into the local economy each year through farmers' pockets, while also employing local contractors for fertilising and harvesting grass crops.

As previously reported, concerns have been expressed locally about the proposed facility, with a previous application turned down for planning by the council.

The developers, Moy Valley Biogas, say they have addressed issues such as traffic, which was also raised by planners, in the new application, which is being prepared for submission.

Gary Smyth of Moy Valley Biogas, well known for his work on local environmental projects, spoke to The Connaught Telegraph about what is proposed.

If permitted, the facility would see multi-sward grass (65%) and slurry (35%) feeding into an anaerobic digestor. The biogas produced, when refined, can then be used in industry and manufacturing or to heat homes, with an organic fertiliser pellet also being manufactured for use on local farms.

No other type of waste will be processed at the plant, which is proposed on a site at Lislackagh, Swinford, just off the N5, he said.

The raw materials will come from 1,500 acres of farmland within a 30k radius, with €1 million paid back annually to farmers to be spent in the local economy.

There are also plans for a community benefit fund to support projects in the Swinford area.

The Smyth family hail from Swinford and Gary, who runs two pharmacies, is passionate about the area, investing in employment and the environment. This includes helping to establish the River Moy Trust.

He said: “I want this project to be good for Swinford. I see this as a solution for helping with the environment, as a solution for creating a renewable energy source, creating employment, and giving money back to farmers in the community.”

Farmers who opt in can either lease their land to Moy Valley Biogas or grow a multi-sward grass crop for the company, from which energy will be made.

Anaerobic digestors are relatively new to this part of the world but the technology has been tried and tested for over 30 years, with more than 3,000 facilities in Germany.

They are described as being like a 'concrete cow's stomach'. Any issues with them, historically, related to their inputs, such as waste materials and odorous inputs, he explained.

On the proposed Swinford plant, he said: “We are 100% satisfied that there will not be an odour given off from the plant to the surrounding community and residents.”

The gas is not stored in a compressed state on site and explosion is not a concern, he continued. If there was an instance where gas needed to be burned off there is an emergency flare. That is there as an emergency measure.

Addressing the traffic concern of residents, he said the total percentage traffic increase is in the order of 3% - three cars more per 100 - on the old Castlebar road.

Planners had an issue with the plant being accessed by the old bog road off the N5. In the new application, a non-turning corner is included at the plant entrance meaning you can't access it via that route.

The bog road access, he said, was the main stumbling block with the first application.

The main access road will be coming past Swinford Church, the old Castlebar road, and it is proposed to widen the access point where it meets the bog road to satisfy safety concerns about turning traffic.

Another concern of residents is that the location chosen for the plant is wrong, being located in the vicinity of people's homes.

Said Gary: “We have looked at lots of potential sites and we feel it is the right location.

“When you are looking at projects that are new to communities naturally there is a concern. I would argue the plant is not something that is going to damage the local environment or create an odour.”

He stressed: “The plant will not be processing any waste materials. That would be contrary to why we got into this project.

“The issues being raised, some of them are based on misinformation.”

He would not have got involved in the project if he felt it would do any harm to the community or the environment, he added.

If the facility gets the green light, at farm level, farmers who get involved in a project like this will benefit from soil analysis and converting to multi-sward grass, which is better for the environment and biodiversity. The organic fertiliser from the plant would replace slurry on the 1,500 acres involved. Slurry puts huge pressure on water quality in the Moy catchment area.

If approved, the operators will set up a community fund to support local projects on an annual basis. A community power scheme will also be explored with residents, if they want to establish that, providing cheaper electricity to people living in the vicinity.

Gary said he wants this to be a good example of how an agri biogas plant should run in the community, asking people to examine the opportunities that exist around this technology.