Calleary calls for Taoiseach to secure Mayo Power’s future

PLANS UP IN SMOKE? An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, is pictured in June 2015 with Mr Gerald C Crotty, Chairman of Mayo Renewable Power, at the annoucement of a new biomass power station in Killala. The plans are now in doubt. Pic: Maxwells

Anton McNulty

AN Taoiseach, Enda Kenny has been called upon to ‘secure the future’ of the multi-million euro Mayo Renewable Power project in Killala following the suspension of work on Friday.
The construction of the €180 million biomass fueled power plant has been ongoing since October 2015 when Enda Kenny officially turned the sod on the plant which is located on the former Asahi site.
Following the suspension of the work on Friday, Mayo Power issued a statement which confirmed they had issued the suspension due to an inability to conclude the financing of the project.
“The American backers of Mayo Renewable Power have already spent €90 million on the project, which was beyond the equity originally contemplated, and had committed to further spending. Mayo Renewable Power hope to use the suspension period to review its options to be able to complete the project,” the statement read.
There is no indication of how long the suspension period is expected to last and Ballina-based Fianna FΡil TD Dara Calleary said this period must be used to proactively source finance options.
Deputy Calleary also called on the Taoiseach to lead a focused effort to secure the future of the Mayo Renewable Power project.

‘Major blow’
“This news is a major blow to over 150 construction workers and their families, as well as to the north Mayo region. This is an extremely important project, both locally and nationally, which has brought employment back to the county, and many of the workers returned home again after securing employment.
“This project cannot be stalled. I am urging the Taoiseach to intervene and lead a concerted effort to work with the company to resolve the current issues. This suspension period must be used effectively to ensure that the project can progress as planned. I am willing to assist in whatever role necessary to get this development back on track.
“This issue cannot be left to resolve itself. We need leadership and energy to secure these jobs and this project, which is of vital importance to Mayo and the entire country,” he concluded.
Despite the uncertain future of the site, Chief Executive of Mayo County Council, Peter Hynes and Joanne Grehan, the head of the County Enterprise and Investment department both remained positive and stressed that this was not the end of the project.
The project was to create up to 350 jobs at the peak of its construction and it had been hoped that the facility would be operating commercially in 2017. The generation station was to employ 30 people once it was up and running and the plant would have had the capacity to generate 42.5 mega watts of electricity, enough energy to power around 42,000 homes.
The power station was to burn Willow, Spruce, Miscanthus and Mesquite, and the ‘waste heat’ was be used in an adjoining fuel processing plant to refine the biomass for commercial use.
The plant has been dogged by delays and setbacks since it was first envisaged nearly a decade ago. The project first received planning permission from Mayo County Council, subject to 43 conditions, in late 2007, but An Bord PleanΡla refused permission for the project in 2008.