O&S Doors has moved to address community concerns following the announcement of a £9 million biomass energy investment at its Benburb factory.
It comes after a number of local residents raised objections about what they described as a lack of transparency surrounding the project.
The concerns were outlined in a letter submitted to Armagh I, in which the residents strongly opposed both the planned development (by the AIC Group) at Milltown, and the new biomass installation at O&S Doors in Benburb, claiming the latter was being progressed with “almost no public awareness or involvement”.
The residents alleged that the facility would burn thousands of tonnes of hazardous MDF waste per year and raised fears around emissions and filtration, and questioned whether the appropriate planning permissions, permits and monitoring arrangements were in place.
However, in response, Dermot O’Brien, Operations Director at O&S Doors, said the company has fully complied with all relevant regulatory and planning requirements and strongly rejected claims that the project lacks oversight or consultation.
“O&S Doors has ambitious sustainability objectives which it intends to meet through the construction of a combined heat and power plant (CHP),” he told Armagh I.
“Throughout the process, O&S Doors has complied with all the relevant local regulatory requirements, submitting plans to Mid Ulster District Council for planning permission and to the Council’s Environmental Health department for the relevant emissions control permits.”
Mr O’Brien said the new CHP system will replace existing burners already operating on site, which are currently used to combust MDF dust for factory heating.
“We are simply replacing this existing equipment with a more sustainable solution with reduced emissions,” he said.
According to the company, the new plant will be fitted with the latest emissions control systems, with emissions monitored in line with permit conditions set by the local council.
Addressing claims that residents were not informed, Mr O’Brien said the company had met its statutory public notification obligations which were published in the Tyrone Courier in October and November 2025.
He also stressed that the CHP system will only use MDF sawdust produced on site and will not accept waste from external sources.
“O&S Doors’ CHP will solely use fuel from the MDF sawdust by-product originating on site and will reduce road transportation in doing so. We have no plans to bring in external fuels for the plant,” he added.
The clarification follows the recent visit of First Minister Michelle O’Neill to the Benburb factory last Wednesday (January 28), where the £9 million investment was formally announced.
The project is being co-funded by the Shared Island Sustainability Scheme, with a £2.4 million grant, and will see the installation of a biomass-fuelled Combined Heat and Power system — the first of its kind on the island of Ireland.
The system will burn over 10,000 tonnes of MDF dust annually, a by-product of door manufacturing, generating one megawatt (MW) of energy per year, enough to power approximately 200 homes.
O&S Doors employs around 350 people at its Benburb site and exports across the UK, Ireland and the United States.
Speaking during the visit, Mrs O’Neill described the project as “hugely innovative” and praised it as a commitment to sustainable manufacturing.
“We are committed to achieving net-zero by 2028,” O&S CEO John Toomey said, adding that the CHP system is expected to improve efficiency by reducing waste handling constraints. The system is scheduled to be operational by early 2027.
While O&S Doors maintains the project is compliant, safe and environmentally beneficial, the residents who raised the concerns said they will continue to oppose both the Benburb installation and the proposed development at Milltown, calling for greater public scrutiny and engagement.
