Cockburn Cement has won a Supreme Court challenge over its licence conditions, and will no longer be required to install pollution control equipment on one of its kilns at its Munster cement plant.
The building products manufacturer was challenging an appeal determination made by Environment Minister Bill Marmion in May this year, which, among other conditions, required Cockburn to install a dust filter on kiln 5 at the plant by November next year, at a likely cost of more than $20 million.
The court quashed the requirement for pollution control equipment for kiln 5, because the condition was beyond the life of the license.
Mr Marmion requested the Department of Environment and Conservation to immediately commence discussions with regarding the installation of dust filters on the kiln.
The DEC has previously ordered Cockburn Cement to install a bag filter on the source of the majority of dust complaints at the plant, kiln 6, before March next year, at a cost of $24 million.