Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy sources can be replenished in a short period of time. The most common renewable sources of energy include hydropower (water), solar, wind, geothermal, and biomass.
In the last twelve months, oil prices have more than doubled. Faced with the prospect of further increases in fossil fuel prices and with targets to be met in terms of renewable energy, Northern Ireland must become more self-sufficient in terms of energy generation. This is particularly important in terms of attracting new investment and creating jobs for future generations. Rose Energy's biomass power plant would meet a third of Northern Ireland's non-wind provision of renewable energy obligations.

Energy obtained from biomass is considered ‘despatchable’ – i.e. the electricity produced can be guaranteed – unlike wind and solar power which are dependent on weather conditions. Second generation fuel sources are more energy-efficient than growing crops specifically for use as biofuels. Northern Ireland has two local second generation biomass fuels – meat and bone meal (MBM) and poultry bedding – which are currently exported to UK energy plants. Rose Energy proposes to use these two valuable energy sources locally.

Poultry bedding, also known as poultry litter, is a mixture of poultry manure and bedding material such as sawdust, wood shavings, straw or rice hulls. It is a nutrient-rich material, particularly high in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Traditionally farmers have used it as a fertiliser, however the practice of spreading it on farmland has been limited and regulated due to concerns about water pollution. The EU Nitrates Directive has forced the farming community to look for different methods of disposal for poultry bedding.

EU feed regulations are extremely detailed and much more stringent than in other parts of the world. For example, throughout the EU the use of arsenicals in the production of poultry/animal feeds has been banned for over 25 years. All food ranges selected by O'Kane Poultry and Moy Park fully comply with current EU legislation.

The feeds used by Moy Park and O'Kane Poultry are processed on dedicated poultry production lines which incorporate the latest technology to eliminate the presence of Salmonella or other bacteria in the finished product. Feeds are tested in full compliance with the DARD CoP for the Control of Salmonella and routine testing by approved laboratories is carried out on an ongoing basis.

All food ranges selected by O'Kane Poultry and Moy Park contain no antibiotic growth promoters or animal derived proteins and are also non genetically modified (GM).

Meat and bone meal, commonly known as MBM, is the protein by-product of the rendering process. The process involves grinding, cooking & pressure sterilising discarded farm animal products to render them safe in the interests of animal and public health. It is a powdery material which looks similar to soil. Currently most of Northern Ireland's MBM is exported for use in green energy plants in Great Britain.

MBM is an inert, non-toxic substance.

Our intention is to use local fuels; this makes environmental and financial sense, as the local supplies are plentiful and secured.

Rose Energy's proposals for the plant were developed as a result of a number of independent studies including SNIFFER (Scotland and Northern Ireland Forum for Environmental Research) and EGAUM (Expert Group on Alternative Utilisation of Manures). These studies recommended incineration as the most suitable technology to dispose of poultry litter. Over four years have been spent developing the current proposals which will use state of the art technology.

Poultry litter is a dry material and therefore does not lend itself well to the process of anaerobic digestion which is best suited to wet organic material. Anaerobic digestion also does not solve the nitrates and phosphates issue which is essential for compliance with the EU Nitrates Directive.

Yes. Similar plants operating in Great Britain and Europe have been very successful. Some plants in the UK have been operating for over 10 years. In fact, up to 75% of poultry bedding in England and Scotland is currently being used as a renewable energy source.

The operation of biomass power stations in the UK has been extremely successful since the first plant opened in the early 90s. We aim to recruit experienced personnel in all key positions and all staff will be trained to the highest levels.

The plant will generate steam using poultry bedding and MBM as fuel. The steam will then be used to drive a steam turbine, thereby supplying electricity to the national network. NIE will adopt the best practice in deciding upon the most suitable means of transmitting electricity beyond the plant. The current proposal is underground cables running for one km at each end.

Modern methods of incineration are increasingly being recognised as an essential tool for dealing with waste whilst creating energy from renewable sources. This is because landfill of material is not a long term option in this country or neighbouring countries due to the EU Landfill Directive.
Countries are being challenged to take responsibilty for the waste produced by the local food industry and to come up with local solutions. In the context of Northern Ireland, controlled incineration offers a viable and safe way of disposing of waste materials whilst ensuring that Northern Ireland does not fall behind in terms of developing renewable energy.

Project Omega - a £122 million waste water treatment and sludge disposal scheme is planned to be built at Duncrue, Belfast docks and the construction of a €130 million waste-to-energy incinerator in County Meath is set to begin this August after it got the go-ahead by An Bord Pleanala last October. In England, a 65MW biomass plant is to be built later this year costing £200 million. In Europe, a plant similar to the Rose Energy plant that will be run on poultry litter is due to open at the end of summer 2008.

Glenavy was chosen from a list of 38 possible sites.The site is in an ideal location between the two major poultry processing areas in NI. It is also located next to Ulster Farm By-Products Ltd, which will be a major supplier to the plant of one of the fuel sources – meat and bone meal. It is also in an ideal position as it is close to water that may be required for cooling purposes. Furthermore, the plant will serve to reinforce the electricity infrastructure in an area which is currently deficient.

We would expect the planning approval process to take between six months to one year. Once the plans are approved, the plant should take between two and a half and three years to build. It is anticipated that the plant will be up and running by late 2010/early 2011.

The plant will be sized to optimise its operation and the use of the available local fuels.

The comparisons that have been drawn between the proposed Monaghan incinerator and Rose Energy's proposals are not valid. The Monaghan plant proposed to burn mainly mushroom compost and was based on 1930s technology which did not meet the UK and EU's Waste Incineration Directive conditions and the project was never offered a licence by the EPA. Rose Energy's proposals are based on state-of-the-art technology and would fully comply with the EU and UK legislation.

The choice and positioning of plant, site arrangement and acoustic bunding and fencing have been designed to reduce any potential noise. The Noise and Vibration Report submitted as part of our planning application has concluded that the predicted change in noise levels at the nearest dwelling on the Ballyvannon Road would not be significant. During the period of construction and during operation, noise levels will be contained within suitable buildings, where appropriate, and otherwise restricted to ensure they do not exceed the target levels.

The plant will be a substantial industrial building but will be designed sympathetically with the landscape. The boiler is 42m tall and the chimney stack is 80m high. (it is worth noting that the chimney stack at Kilroot power station is 200m tall.)
To reduce the impact of the plant to those that live in close proximity, hundreds of trees and shrubs will be planted round the perimeter of the plant on a 20m wide band.

The proposed plant will require planning permission and this will involve the preparation of an environmental impact assessment. Once it is built, the plant's operations will be controlled by an EHSNI permit to operate to Best Available Techniques under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations.

The whole process from delivery of fuel (quantities, type and condition), through to the combustion process (temperature, burning efficiency and power production) and on to the final flue gases (temperature and composition) will be continuously monitored and logged. All monitoring signals will be fed to the main control room and assessed by the operators to make sure that they maintain best performance and comply with permit conditions. The results of the flue gas monitoring will be forwarded to EHSNI on a regular basis.

No, EHSNI will not issue a permit unless they are convinced that there will be no harmful emissions. The plant will employ best available burning technology and supplement this with flue gas cleaning equipment to control emissions. The monitoring results sent to EHSNI on a regular basis will confirm this.
For further information on emissions please click here

No, the burning control and flue gas cleaning will keep smells to a minimum. One of the EHSNI permit requirements will be that there is no noticeable odour and the company will carry out frequent checks to confirm this is the case.

Rose Energy would add 142 vehicles per day, this is an increase of 10% to the 1,395 vehicles per day currently on ballyvannon Road.

The environmental impact assessment will look at the impacts on local wildlife (and plant life) and ensure that impacts are minimal. The authorities will not grant planning permissions until they are satisfied on this point.

As ever with a major project of this type there will be positive and negative impacts on both the local and wider environments. The plant will be a significant visual feature on the local environment. However, active measures will be taken to minimise this effect and some of this screening and planting will be used to increase the diversity of wildlife habitats. There will be major environmental plusses in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and in the reduction of nitrate pollution of Lough Neagh. Overall the plant will be of significant environmental benefit.

Final decisions on the use of water from the Lough are yet to be taken. Any such decisions will be taken in full consultation with DoE and other appropriate stakeholders, and only after comprehensive studies on the effect of using Lough water have been undertaken and agreed. However, it is the case that the current proposals only envisage the use of Lough water as feed water to the plant.
Rose Energy's proposals will assist in improving the water quality of Lough Neagh and of the water in Northern Ireland as a whole. The build up of excess nutrient levels in rivers and lakes is one of the specific problems highlighted in the State of the Environment Report for Northern Ireland launched by the Minister for the Environment in April 2008.
By using 200,000 tonnes of poultry litter per annum as biomass fuel, Rose Energy will remove approximately 5,000 tonnes of nitrogen and 4,000 tonnes of phosphorous per annum that would otherwise contaminate the water of Lough Neagh and Northern Ireland's rivers.

There are no plans to use any other materials as a source of energy at the plant.

The EU Nitrates Directive is concerned with the protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural sources.
Further information is available at www.dardni.gov.uk

Dioxins are produced as by-products of a number of human activities and natural processes e.g. forest fires, bonfires, motor vehicle exhaust, cigarette smoke as well as burning coal, oil, wood or waste.
Dioxins are present everywhere due to both natural and industrial process. However, in the last 15-20 years, dioxin levels have decreased considerably due to tighter regulations on industrial activities, and these controls will ensure that dioxin levels remain low.
Dioxin levels in Ireland are currently 40 grams per year, about 75% of which are created by daily domestic activites such as central heating, vehicles etc.
Rose Energy's operations will create a maximum of 0.2 grams of dioxins per year and most of this will be removed by plant equipment designed to reduce emissions to the very minimum, ensuring emissions are well below other industrial levels. The plant will account for a less than 0.005% increase in Ireland's total dioxin emissions.

We all have some level of dioxins in our bodies because of the natural emissions and industrial emissions in the past. 95% of human exposure is through diet e.g. meat and dairy products.

We are currently investigating suitable options for the disposal of the ash produced by the plant - for example in the UK it is used as fertiliser. Other options include use as an aggregate in the concrete industry. The ash will be kept securely in the plant and will be transferred into vehicles in a self-contained area within the plant.

There are some health concerns over the effects of dioxins. Studies have shown that exposure to dioxins at high enough doses may cause a number of adverse health effects. Some scientists suggest that dioxins created in the past are more likely to be harmful than those created in the future.

At low dosages the health risks are very low/negligible. The emissions from the proposed Rose Energy power plant are tiny. Similar plants have been in operation in the UK for over 10 years and there have been no negative health impacts on the surrounding environment.

Eliminating dioxins is not an option unless industrial activities, which we rely on to support our lifestyles are stopped. Also, low levels from naturally produced dioxins will always be present.

Over the past decade, government and industry have worked to dramatically reduce dioxin emissions. Dioxin levels in Northern Ireland and the UK have been declining for the last 30 years due to reductions in manmade sources. Dioxin emissions have fallen by over 70% in the last 15 years.

Besides reducing the creation of dioxins at source, proper incineration of fuel material is the best available method of preventing and controlling exposure to dioxins. The incineration process requires high temperatures, over 850°C.  The Rose Energy power plant would operate at temperatures above 850°C.
For further information on dioxins please click on this link

Bob Foy of AFBI has prepared a document on some of the issues regarding dioxins (August 2008). To view this document please click on this link

Residents in the area will not be paying any extra money towards rates or electricity charges.

The plant will not be connected to the electrical network until it is fully commissioned. No initial problems are anticipated, as prior testing will be carried out by industry commissioning experts.

The permit is only required for the operational stage of the plant not the planning period and determination of an application would only take around six months so there will be adequate time once planning permission is granted for the IPPC application. The permit application can be affected by local planning conditions and so it is correct procedure for a company to wait until it has as much local information as possible before applying for an IPPC licence.

A Public Inquiry would not uncover an alternative approach; it would add unnecessary time and cost the Northern Ireland taxpayer millions of pounds in the process. The time it would take to set up and conduct such an inquiry is time that our agri-food industry does not have. Rose Energy's plans remain the only viable solution on the table. Our planning application, which is over 4,000 pages long, has been submitted and is subject to the full scrutiny of the Planning Service. We are confident that proven technology and robust scientific evidence will be the ultimate determinants in the success of our application.