Dublin City Council has been granted a licence to build its controversial waste incinerator at Poolbeg.

The Environmental Protection Agency passed the licenece following weeks of discussions and opposition from environmental groups, residents groups and members of the Daíl.

The plant has already been granted planning permission and although it still requires approval from the Commission for Energy Regulation, it is now fully expected to go ahead.

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The proposed €250 million incinerator is set to be one of the largest municipal waste incinerators in Europe, and will burn 600,000 tonnes of waste annually.

Minister for the Enviornment, John Gormley, has come under major fire over the project. The Green Party has been opposed to the building of the plant, and as leader of the party sitting in the government's coalition, the decision is generating calls of political hypocrisy from opposition benches.

However, under fire after the announcement in the Daíl, Mr Gormley said: "That planning process had begun before I entered office. You have to go back many years before this process began."

Building of the plant is expected to begin in the first half of next year.

(DW)