Information day on hydrogen facility in Rathoe described as ‘box ticking exercise’
Rathoe village is the site for a proposed Hydrogen Storage Facility. Pic: © Michael O'Rourke Photography 2026
“THERE were a lot of issues raised yesterday that the developer just didn’t have the answers for. It was a box ticking exercise,” was the view of Rathoe Community Group (RCG) spokesperson Dr David Allen, following the public information day hosted by the developer of a proposed hydrogen storage facility in the village last week.
The information day was held over seven hours in Rathoe Community Hall on Wednesday 12 August, where representatives of the developer of Rathrush Green Energy Park, Net Zero Energy (NZE), were in attendance to field questions from locals.
According to Dr Allen, Wednesday’s information day did little to alleviate those concerns.
“The feedback I’m getting from the community is one of deep frustration and a significant lack of confidence in the information provided, with particular dissatisfaction with the technical information provided,” he said in a statement.
For his part, NZE CEO Peter Harte said the company had gone “above and beyond” in its consultation with the community because of the new nature of the technology. “We know we’re coming into the community; we know that this is an unknown project and it’s up to us to explain what we’re doing,” he said. “So far, all we can do is put the information out.”
Elected representatives in the Tullow Municipal District who attended the information day have also expressed their discontent.
Speaking to , Sinn Féin councillor Jim Deane said he found the format of the event, at which there were multiple stations with storyboards concerning different aspects of the project, “confusing”.
“Being sent from one information board and one information expert to the next, I found it very, very confusing,” cllr Deane said.
Another local councillor who was present was Fine Gael’s Ben Ward, who said residents’ concerns centre on the lack of similar projects for comparison.
“People feel as if Rathoe is being used as a testing ground,” he told . “There are smaller projects in other countries, but nothing on this scale has been done before and certainly not in Ireland. So we feel, and the people in Rathoe feel, that there is no way they (NZE) could guarantee that it is going to be safe,” he added.
The project is classified as being ‘of scale and regional importance’, meaning that it falls under strategic infrastructure development (SID) rules set out in national planning law. This means it by-passes the normal local authority planning process and goes straight to An Coimisiún Pleanála (formerly An Bord Pleanála), the state’s independent planning body, for a decision. This is not a discretionary call by any government department or by the council itself; it is determined by criteria set out in planning legislation.
The Rathoe project will be subject to approval by An Coimisiún Pleanála following a period of community engagement, during which the public can make observations. However, there is no right of appeal once the commission makes its decision.
As part of that process, An Coimisiún Pleanála is expected to consider the developer’s planning application and environmental documentation, including any environmental impact assessment report required for a strategic infrastructure development.
According to information provided by the developer at the information day, the site will also require an industrial emissions licence from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Health and Safety Authority would also have a role in overseeing the project under major accident hazard rules. The developer would have to submit detailed safety documents, setting out how serious accidents would be prevented and managed before the project could be built or operated.
Other bodies, including Inland Fisheries Ireland, Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the HSE, will also be formally consulted as part of the pre-application process with An Coimisiún Pleanála, with their recommendations feeding into the commission’s final decision.
However, even if the authorities determine the planning proposal to be safe and grant the requisite licences, cllr Ward said he would still be opposed to the construction of the site.
“The honest answer is: I would not want it beside my house. No matter how many guarantees someone could give or any of the agencies could give about safety or anything else, it wouldn’t allay my concerns because it is such a big construction project that is going to take years to build. Regardless of whether it is safe or not, there is going to be significant disruption to people in the local area,” he said.
