Port feltfirm couldship 70ktonnes annually

Last year the port’s former Chief Finance Officer told the Sentinel he hoped the waste firm would soon export 70k per year from the North West.

Stephen Gillespie, who recently departed for a top job at Derry City Council, told the Sentinel last September gross tonnage exports from the port were up from 82,172 tonnes in 2011 to 140,036 in 2012.

He said the addition of new customers like City Industrial Waste, which had started exporting recycled cardboard bales all over Europe for use as fuel, were a potential boon to the port.

“Exports have been good and should continue in that we have two new customers and one customer doing new business,” said Mr Gillespie.

“The two new customers: one would be City Waste. They’ve been doing the waste bales and sending them into Europe, Alicante, Germany and now it’s going to Latvia.

“They are processing those and baling it and then it goes out for fuel.”

However, in June City Industrial Waste was shut down by the Environment Minister following a year long investigation into suspected illegal dumping on the Mobuoy Road site - just downstream of Gorticross between Drumahoe and Maydown.

It was suspected that hundreds of thousands of tonnes of putrid waste were buried at four riverside sites near the facility.

Last Monday the Sentinel asked the Port how the closure of City Industrial Waste had affected the port - if at all.

Londonderry Port replied to say it had no comment but not before it had issued a press release announcing Evermore Renewables’ £80m woodchip plant at Lisahally.

The Sentinel had first reported Evermore Renewable Energy’s plans for the port last September following that same interview with Mr Gillespie.