Plants released almost two million tonnes of polluting gases into the atmosphere and fears of cancer cases are growing

The two power stations are costing Malta between €87 and €126 million annually in environmental and health costs, a technical study by the EU’s Environmental Agency reveals.

The Marsa and Delimara power plants are having an impact on soil and water resources, including groundwater facilities.

There is also a growing incidence of health problems, such as cancers, particularly those related to the respiratory system, according to the report seen by The Sunday Times.

The pollution is costing the taxpayer as the effects must be handled by the national health service.

The 2009 study, using highly technical international measurement formulas, was based on the emissions of the facilities’ dangerous gases.

It calculated the environmental and health damage caused by the release into the atmosphere of a number of dangerous gases linked to the fuel fired by the plants – including carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and particle matter (PM10).

The study, however, notes that figures related to estimated costs are conservative as they do not include aspects like occupational exposure to air pollutants.

In 2009, both Maltese power stations released a total of almost two million tonnes of polluting gases into the atmosphere, with the biggest polluter being the old Marsa power station. The Marsa plant has been blamed for being the source of black dust particles in the surroundings. Some studies have also shown that the excessive presence of particulate matter in the air is one of the causes of various respiratory ailments notably asthma.

Both power stations released 1.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, 5,200 tonnes of nitrogen oxide, 7,700 tonnes of sulphur dioxide and 221 tonnes of particulate matter.

Malta has been implementing various measures to reduce emissions from both power plants in recent years, including the use of low sulphur oil, though this costs much more than the conventional oil normally used for combustion.

When the new plant being installed at the Delimara power station is commissioned next year, Malta’s emissions are expected to continue to drop ­drastically.

Malta’s plants are not, however, the biggest polluters, according to the report. The most harmful plants are found in ­countries like Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Poland and the Czech Republic which still use large amounts of coal to fire their plants.

The industrial facilities covered by the EEA’s analysis include large power plants, refineries, manufacturing combustion and ­industrial processes, waste and certain agricultural activities.