Hazardous waste likely to be carried by road

Containers carrying hazardous waste generated by the Delimara power station extension will be driven through the roads of Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa to the Freeport, according to government’s preferred option.

The waste has to be exported under very strict conditions because Malta has no facility where to dispose of it.

Last year government had said it was considering the option of using barges to ferry the waste across Marsaxlokk Bay to the Freeport and ruled out the option of loading the containers directly onto ships at the Delimara quay.

Hazardous waste disposal is subject to a separate tender distinct from that awarded to Danish company BWSC in 2009 for the power station extension.

A waste disposal tender will be issued “in the coming months” the Finance Ministry said when asked at what stage the tendering process had reached. Last May the same ministry had promised the tender would be issued “soon”.

“The preferred solution is standard road transport, although bidders are at liberty to propose alternatives,” the ministry said when asked whether a final decision had been taken as to how the waste containers will be transferred to the Freeport.

The prospect of having containers carrying hazardous waste being driven all the way to the Freeport was a matter of concern for Marsaxlokk and Birżebbuġa residents when the Malta Environment and Planning Authority granted Enemalta a full development permit to build the extension.

According to the environmental impact assessment, the new power plant will produce 30 tonnes of hazardous solid waste every day. It would have to be stored in specialised containers and exported at a rate of 15 containers per week to avoid power outages.

The waste is a by-product of the gas purification systems to be installed at the plant, required to satisfy EU clean air legislation.

Another issue left in abeyance last year was the removal of sludge residue, which is a different sort of waste that cannot be mixed with the waste generated by the gas purification systems.

“The sludge, which is nothing other than the high density components of the fuel oil, separated by centrifuging, will either be reutilised through a recovery process or exported,” the ministry spokesman said, when asked whether any decision had been taken on the matter.

The EIA had suggested the sludge be burnt in an incinerator.

However, the spokesman noted that the Delimara power station would remain constantly subject to an environment permit (IPPC - Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Permit) that regulates not only air and water quality but also waste management.

The environment permit has not yet been issued and a Mepa spokesman said “studies pertaining to the IPPC application are currently underway”.

Cross-boundary transport of hazardous waste is governed by the Basle Convention and Malta will have to ensure the treatment facility receiving the power station’s waste is up to standard and situated in an EU member state.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com