Enemalta is being spared fines of €500 a day for exceeding nitrogen oxide emissions limits at its new Delimara power station extension, Times of Malta can confirm.
Imagine buying a brand new car and finding out a few weeks later that it’s leaking water
Penalties have so far been waived because emissions monitoring systems for the plant have “only recently been certified” and measurement details were still being hashed out, a spokesman for the Malta Environment and Planning Authority said.
Nitrogen oxide emissions at Enemalta’s new Delimara power station extension have regularly exceeded stipulated limits since the plant was commissioned last December, a report by the Auditor General found last week.
The report found that each of the power station’s four stacks had overrun monthly emissions limits at least once between December and February, with emissions up to 33 per cent higher than permitted levels in some cases.
Investigators also found that the plant’s monitoring systems were not functioning correctly when calculating daily emissions of nitrogen oxide, prompting Enemalta to turn to manufacturer BWSC for clarification.
With daily emissions regularly under-measured, calculating how many thousands of euros Enemalta is being spared in emissions penalties is difficult, although it is certain to run into tens of thousands of euros.
According to the plant’s pollution control permit, each emissions breach should result in a €200 daily fine for the first week, rising to €500 daily after that.
But calculating fines is not always that straightforward, a Mepa spokesman explained: the size, length and cause of excessive emissions levels all play a part in determining penalties.
Enemalta has remained tight-lipped about its NOx emissions problems, with questions sent by Times of Malta on May 1 remaining unanswered six days later.
Mepa has not ruled out dishing out emissions fines in the future, with a spokesman saying the authority would be keeping an eye on Enemalta’s emissions data and “taking the appropriate action in cases of non-compliance”.
Despite concerns about excessive emissions, the National Audit Office report found that problems which cropped up during the Delimara extension’s testing phase did not affect the plant’s longevity.
It also found that Enemalta was justified in insisting on a full damage report from manufacturer BWSC when a turbine broke during the plant’s testing phase. Disputes between the two totalling €25 million are now likely to be settled in a London arbitration court.
Engineer Arthur Ciantar agreed with the latter conclusion. “It’s perfectly reasonable for Enemalta to demand a full explanation before signing off on the plant, especially given that it’s a prototype. If anything, BWSC wasn’t quite correct in being so difficult – it should be making things easier for the client,” he said.
But Mr Ciantar was less enthused by the way investigators had brushed aside concerns about water leakages in four of the plant’s eight diesel engines. The report noted that water leakages have “never been wholly resolved” and that equipment manufacturer Wartsila was considering replacing all the plant’s cylinder heads as a result, but did not consider the leakages to be especially alarming.
Mr Ciantar disagreed: “When a manufacturer decides to change all 144 cylinder heads after just a few months, something isn’t working . Imagine buying a brand new car and finding out a few weeks later that it’s leaking water. It shouldn’t happen.”
Nitrogen what?
Nitrogen oxides are produced during high-temperature combustion, making it a common by-product of fossil fuel burning. It is a key component of acid rain, contributes to climate change and can impede plant growth.
Inhaling relatively small amounts of NOx chemicals can lead to respiratory problems such as asthma or emphysema; in larger concentrations, NOx inhalation can cause spasms and significantly reduced oxygen intake.