Updated: No filters on Marsa power station chimneys
Marsa power station does not have filters on its chimneys to collect soot but uses electrostatic precipitators installed on the main boilers to collect dust, Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt said in Parliament.
He said that there was no legal requirement for Enemalta to install the filters, and it had no plans to do so.
The level of emissions is kept low and within permissible levels primarily through the use of oil with low sulphur content.
The precipitators were installed when the power station was coal firing and they were converted to oil-firing operations in 2000.
The minister also explained that last year Enemalta installed instruments to monitor dust emissions. The results showed that the emissions were almost always constant and there was no significant variation during the time when black dust was reported over several localities.
Furthermore, Mepa tests on the dust found in the localities showed that it lacked the chemical composition which would have shown that it came from the power station.
10 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Mike Magri
Nov 25th 2009, 11:30
The levels of emissions are within permissable levels informed us Minister Gatt....
Does that mean that we can get cancer in a longer period than sooner Sur Ministru...!!??!!??
Hallina
mario gellel
Nov 25th 2009, 10:52
AGREE WITH YOU FOR ONCE, DEAR AUSTIN. MARSA POWER STATION CHIMNEYS DO NOT NEED FILTERS,
OUR CHILDREN ARE FILTERING THEM.
tony abela
Nov 25th 2009, 09:45
Can the Hon Minister explain to us why when last week the Marsa Power Station was down for 4 to 5 hours, MEPA Air Polution Monitoring Unit at Zejtun recorded a very unusual low level of Sulpuric Dioxide (S02), and as soon as the Marsa Power Station was brought up again this S02 level increased drastically and by 1400hrs it peaked at 11.01ug/m3? Even though this level can be classified as within acceptable levels, it appears thta there is a direct link between S02 level and Marsa Power Station.
Franco Farrugia
Nov 25th 2009, 08:28
'Enemalta installed instruments to monitor dust emissions...' Well, that may be so, but it should be a third party institution that should monitor such emissions, and not Enemalta doing it for itself. That's common sense, though.
Steve Borg
Nov 25th 2009, 00:09
Eureka! Bonġu li ma hemmx filters fiċ-ċumnija tal-Power Station.
Inkredibbli kif jitkellmu - "emissions were almost constantly constant". Qishu qed isemmi l-produzzjoni tal-qubbajd fuq l-irħama, minflok it-tniġġiż tal-arja li jmur fl-imniffsejn.
Jiġifieri? X'qed jgħid? Kemm hu l-ammont p m3?
M Xuereb
Nov 24th 2009, 22:57
OK so....... where is the black dust coming from?
John Micallef
Nov 24th 2009, 22:06
'The level of emissions is kept low and within permissible levels primarily through the use of oil with low sulphur content'
Hope the new phase of delimara is not based on the same 'permisable levels'
It seems Dr Muscat was right. Austin pls advise.
S.Calleja
Nov 24th 2009, 21:55
Well that's a way of beating around the bush! Can the minister confirm the precipitators are working? Or have they been turned off for some months now since a leading contractor who used to collect this ash was stopped from storing this toxic waste in an open air area?
chris mizzi
Nov 24th 2009, 21:35
Minister Austin Gatt said that there was no legal requirement for Enemalta to install the filters, and it had no plans to do so.
that's how things work, one must always have to be binding by law to do something. where is the social and environmental responsibility
Jesmond Micallef
Nov 24th 2009, 21:16
I am no expert in the field but I do think that the use of electro-static precipitators in combination with low sulphur oil do contribute to less sulphuric acid in rainfall causing what is termed as "Acid Rain". I have been on the Harz mountains in Germany and I saw what acid rain does to trees. Huge areas where the trees look as if struck by lightning but not burnt !!