The power station extension in Delimara was granted full planning permission yesterday after a tense four-and-a-half hour meeting, with seven planning authority board members voting in favour and one against.
The only Mepa board member to vote against was Labour MP Roderick Galdes.
The meeting, described by Mepa chairman Austin Walker as a "marathon" and by Labour MP Evarist Bartolo as a "theatre of the absurd", was well-attended by residents, local council representatives and Labour MPs. It ended with a chorus of disapproval and loud protestations from the people present.
From the start, Mr Walker insisted the decision did not concern the power station's operational aspects because those would be dealt with when the environmental permit (IPPC) was discussed in a year's time.
He said issues such as the choice of fuel, waste disposal and mitigation measures to prevent environmental problems created by the discharge of hot water into the sea were not considerations the board had to deliberate on yesterday. The decision was to be made on the structures and their location.
This position was hotly contested by various people throughout the meeting. Before the voting took place Mr Galdes also raised the issue, insisting the choice of heavy fuel oil had a bearing on what development was approved because it necessitated the designation of a large area for air filtering equipment and waste storage.
"Whenever this board evaluated permits for farms we insisted they also present detailed waste management plans. If the waste of this power station, as confirmed by the Finance Ministry, is to be transferred to the Freeport, I demand we know how it will be transferred and where it will be stored at the Freeport," Mr Galdes said.
Mr Walker interjected, insisting that even farms were subjected to an IPPC permit and the issues raised by Mr Galdes would be dealt with at that stage.
A condition included in the approved permit makes it clear that the applicant would have to re-submit a planning application to amend the full development permit if the IPPC obliged Enemalta to make any changes.
Enemalta was also bound by a bank guarantee of €500,000 and has to make a planning contribution fee of €139,200.
Another concern raised by board member Joe Tabone Iacono was the height of the two chimneys, which, at 65 metres from sea level, would have their top part reach street level at the upper part of the Delimara cliff face.
Enemalta's consultants explained that the height was adequate and helped mitigate the negative visual impact on the surroundings. The current chimney at Delimara rises to about 110 metres.
Another bone of contention was the technology chosen by Enemalta, which consists of eight diesel engines with air filtering equipment.
Enemalta engineer Karl Camilleri, who gave a presentation that also dealt with operational matters, said the plant was "tried and tested" amid uproar from the floor. He said the fuel bill alone would increase by 36 per cent if the plant were to be run on diesel instead of heavy fuel oil.
Engineer Arthur Ciantar, a consultant for the Marsaxlokk local council, and environmentalist Edward Mallia pounced on these comments.
Mr Ciantar insisted no international references existed for diesel engines combined with pollution abatement technology. It was for this reason, he added, that the Marsaxlokk council was asking for it to be run on diesel, which was cleaner and produced much less waste.
Prof. Mallia said that if the additional expense quoted by Mr Camilleri was only linked to fuel cost than the problem was "solved".
"The extra expense on diesel would be mitigated by lower maintenance costs, since heavy fuel oil requires a lot of regular maintenance and a much lower expense on waste disposal," Prof. Mallia pointed out.
At a later stage, when pressed by Żejtun mayor Joe Attard, Mr Camilleri admitted the plant was "slightly more efficient" if used with diesel.
The head of Mepa's Environment Directorate, Martin Seychell said Enemalta had submitted an IPPC application about two months ago but the whole process would take at least a year to conclude because of the complex issues involved.
He confirmed that the Delimara power station, which was covered by an IPPC permit, satisfied all emission levels except those for nitrogen oxides and Enemalta had been asked to rectify the situation.
From the case officer's presentation it transpired that the construction waste generated by the development would be dumped at a quarry in Lapsi, in the outskirts of Siġġiewi, belonging to the Polidano Group.
It was Labour MP Charles Mangion who possibly captured the general feeling of people present for the hearing when he asked whether the whole process was simply an exercise to "confirm a decision that has already been taken by the authorities".
He did not get the answer from the board members but from the people at the end of the meeting who angrily walked out accusing Mepa of being the government's rubberstamp.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com