Delimara set for approval, despite toxic ash nightmare
Plant will generate 30 tonnes of toxic ash every day
Export costs could reach as much as €12 million – Labour MP
Filters for plant are prototypes
James Debono The controversial extension to the Delimara power station is being recommended for approval to MEPA, a case officer’s report seen by MaltaToday ahead of publication, reveals.
On Thursday the report will recommend that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority issues a preliminary permit for the 144MW extension, currently the subject of an investigation by the Auditor General, over claims of irregularities in the tendering process.
The proposed extension is controversial because it will be fired by heavy fuel oil, whose higher sulphur content will create 10,000 tonnes of toxic ash every year.
The project’s environment impact statement (EIS) clearly states that a desulfurisation (DeSOx) plant, which will transform toxic gas emissions into toxic ash for disposal, will generate 30 tonnes of toxic waste every day.
The EIS warns that failure to export this vast quantity of waste in time, would cause “complete or partial switching-off of the plant.”
But the case officer’s report still recommends green-lighting the outline permit for the project, described “an essential infrastructure” that is “acceptable from an environmental point of view”.
The outline permit is only preliminary. A full development permit will only be issued after MEPA issues an IPPC permit (Integrated Pollution Prevention Control) that ensures emissions do not exceed legal limits, and that the power station abides to “best available techniques”.
This condition could prove elusive however: bringing the emissions down to EU limits depends on the filters used for the plant. Since they are prototype filters – never used before – they risk failing the “best available techniques” criterion.
Toxic ash The case officer report refers to the negative impacts mentioned in the EIS from the toxic waste resulting from heavy fuel oil, but refrains from commenting on this issue.
According to the EIS, a total of 15 containers of hazardous waste will be transported every week, either on a ship berthed at Delimara, or from the Malta Freeport terminal.
The EIS had revealed that Enemalta does not have any binding contracts to ensure the shipment of this waste. In fact, Enemalta is still having discussions with various organisations to dispose this waste abroad. “In the unlikely event that the export of this waste is not considered feasible, the plant will have to operate on diesel oil,” the EIS warned.
According to the EIS, the use of diesel oil would have reduced the amount of toxic waste considerably; while the use of gas oil would have eliminated the problem completely and minimised the risk of a power shutdown: “The substantially lower waste volume will allow for a bigger storage capacity, thus avoiding the need to shut down the plant due to an inability to store the waste generated by the plant.”
The cost of transporting and exporting the toxic waste could reach as much €12 million a year, according to Labour MP Evarist Bartolo.
Ecological threat Another serious issue raised by the EIS is the ecological threat to the Hofra z-Zghira cove, due to the hourly discharge of an additional 13,500 cubic metres of seawater, at temperatures of 8 degrees centigrade higher than normal. The report warns of an imminent threat to marine life in the area.
The case officer report does include a condition stipulating that if long-term monitoring reveals a major impact on the ecology of Hofra z-Zghira, Enemalta will have to present a “contingency plan”.
But significantly the project lacks a clear endorsement from MEPA’s Environment Protection Department, which insisted that the various mitigation measures proposed in the EIS must be included in both the outline and full development permit.
The application will be discussed by the MEPA board during a public hearing next Thursday.
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