Energy giant asks for citywaste plant to be wound up

A MULTI-NATIONAL energy company has applied for the winding up of Londonderry waste operator, City Industrial Waste Ltd., which was shut down by erstwhile Environment Minister Alex Attwood in June following what he alleged was “immense and appalling” illegal waste activity dating back to 2009.
City Waste, Campsie. (0706PG53)City Waste, Campsie. (0706PG53)
City Waste, Campsie. (0706PG53)

The winding up petition is listed for hearing at the High Court next Thursday (November 21). It was brought on October 4 by Energy from Waste (EEW) - a firm part-owned by German electricity giant E.ON. EEW accounts for an estimated 18 per cent share of the German waste incineration market. According to the Belfast Gazette the petition was brought by “EEW Energy From Waste, Delfzijl B.V. c/o E.ON UK plc.”

Earlier this year City Industrial Waste Ltd.’s operating licence was revoked by Mr Attwood after what he called an unprecedented investigation into allegations of large scale criminal offending involving the disposal of waste.

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The plant concerned lies downstream of Gorticross between Drumahoe and Maydown. It’s thought hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste were buried at four sites near the facility just hundreds of metres upstream from where the Carmoney treatment plant extracts drinking water for 50,000 people in Londonderry. In July Mr Attwood said pollution had been detected in a tributary of the famed River Faughan, which flows past the facility.

He stated: “To date no significant water quality impacts in the River Faughan have been identified through this monitoring programme, although pollution of a tributary that flows past the formerly licensed waste management facility has been detected - enforcement action in relation to this will form part of the wider investigation.”

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