The emissions of the Delimara power station extension will be monitored for nine months to see if it can run on heavy fuel oil without breaching EU limits, under a permit proposed by the planning authority’s environmental unit.
The draft permit conditions allow the combustion of both heavy fuel oil and gasoil, also known as diesel
The planning authority board is due to discuss the draft permit, known as the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control, IPPC, on December 5. It could decide to turn it down or make changes.
The choice of heavy fuel oil for the plant has been highly criticised by environmental groups, as opposed to the use of less polluting diesel.
The draft permit was drawn up after consultation with residents and local organisations who raised questions about the emissions and the technology to be used, which consists of eight engines with air filtering equipment.
Taking a “precautionary” approach, the draft calls for constant ambient air monitoring. The new plant’s performance would be reviewed by September to see whether heavy fuel oil can continue to be used, Environment Director Petra Bianchi explained.
An IPPC is issued to control the operations of large industries, such as factories, incinerators and power stations. The Delimara power station already has such a permit but it has to be amended for the extension. The aim is to ensure that the emissions and waste produced by the heavy fuel oil fall within EU limits and that its transportation – a huge concern for the nearby residents – also conforms to the rules.
The government eventually intends to use natural gas to fire the plant but points to several financial and technical obstacles before this can be achieved.
Dr Bianchi referred to a study submitted by Enemalta, drawn up by audit firm KPMG, which estimated that changing over from heavy fuel oil to diesel would increase the running costs by €20 million over an eight month period.
This figure would have to be recovered by raising the electricity bills by around 10 per cent, according to the study.
The draft permit conditions allow the combustion of both heavy fuel oil and gasoil, also known as diesel. Enemalta will be testing the plant with both fuels between January and May, allowing the authority measure their impacts.
When heavy fuel oil is used, the sulphur content must not exceed 10 kilogrammes for every tonne of fuel.
The corporation must also make sure that no development or operation of the plant will stop any future use of natural gas.
By the end of next year, the corporation must hand in a feasibility study on the conversion of the power station to gas, including liquefied and natural.
Based on the studies submitted so far, the operation of the new plant is not expected to have a significant effect on air quality levels, irrespective of whether diesel or heavy fuel oil used, according to the environment unit.
While diesel gives better environmental results, both fuels should fall in line with the emission limit values of the draft conditions due to abatement equipment to be used at the extension.
The permit will have to be renewed at the end of the nine months.
A monitoring committee is proposed that would be made up of Dr Bianchi, a representative of Enemalta and a representative of the community. It would also appoint an independent consultant to assess the air monitoring data whose monthly reports would be made available to the public.
The waste generated by the plant will start out by being transported on land – identified in a traffic study – but by March, Enemalta would have to submit a feasibility study looking into the marine transport of the waste.
The consultation period closed last month and the draft permit was uploaded on the planning authority’s website yesterday together with studies submitted by the applicant, Enemalta, feedback from the public and technical replies.
www.mepa.org.mt/ippc-applications-consultations