• Chairman Victor Axiaq skips meeting due to conflict of interest
      • Transport Malta say jetty, tanker and mooring conform to international standards
      • Control of Major Accident Hazards representative says risks are "within acceptable limits"

      • Engineer Arthur Ciantar says he intends to legally challenge risk matrix used

      • PN president Ann Fenech questions safety measures, says COMAH representative is "insulting our intelligence". 

The Environment and Resources Authority has voted 8-1 to grant  an integrated prevention and pollution control permit for the new gas-fired power station in Delimara.

The decision was announced after a seven-hour meeting held in public and was greeted by cheers. The only vote against was by PN board representative Maria Attard.

As well as the Electrogas power station itself, the IPPC permit also covers the LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal and floating storage facility, also operated by Electrogas, and the conversion of the BWSC plant to gas.

The new facility is expected to start operating by mid-February.

PN: A decision against the people's interests

In a reaction to the decision, the Nationalist Party said this was a decision against the people's interests. It said Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was personally responsible for the decision to berth the gas tanker in Marsaxlokk despite the dangers, and it would have made more sense to moor the tanker offshore. 

Furthermore, today's meeting showed that the new power station was not needed as Enemalta had the necessary generating capacity to meet demand. The people would end up paying twice as much for electricity as would have cost from the interconnector.

The party again described the new power station as a monument to corruption. 

Konrad Mizzi: Today is the end of heavy fuel oil era

Minister Konrad Mizzi said today marked the end of the heavy fuel oil era in power stations and he was looking forward to a better environment.

His views were echoed by the Labour Party, which also praised the Environment Authority for having worked and decided autonomously despite pressures from the PN and its leader.  

Long-running controversy

Controversy over the power station has raged throughout the summer, and yesterday the Church waded into the fray, saying ERA board members who would make the decision had a duty to respond "serenely and truthfully" to issues raised during the public consultation stage and today's meeting.

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil used his Sunday speech to urge ERA board members to vote in the national interest, and not in that of "the Prime Minister who appointed them."

The power station operators, meanwhile, have told the Times of Malta that the new plant could be operational by mid-February – nearly two years after the original deadline of March 2015, pledged by the Labour Party in the run-up to the last general election.

The following is how the meeting unfolded (start from the bottom up). 

4.38pm: Permit approved approved 8-1 in favour.

4.28pm: Enemalta is asked whether it has the capacity to provide for peak electricity demand without the LNG tanker in cases of stormy weather coinciding with such a period of high demand. Enemalta confirms that the additional capacity can be provided through the open-cycle gas turbines, which are not typically run because of cost. Moreover, peak demand is typically recorded in June or July, when stormy weather is less common.

4.11pm: Board member Alfred Vella, the University rector, asks Transport Malta to clarify what certification the tanker and jetty currently have in hand. The authority says the certification received yesterday confirms that the tanker is currently ready to receive gas. Within the next six months, the operators will have to provide a holistic certification of the whole terminal, based on a number of tests and audits which can only be carried out once the facility is commissioned.

4.04pm: Public discussion has wrapped up and the ERA board members are now making their comments. Under questioning from the board, Electrogas consultants admit they have not yet taken any real data on waves within the harbour. The models are based on statistical models going back 30 years and mathematical models based on seabed data.

3.45pm: Risk analyst Dr Papadakis says two sets of validated software produced nearly identical simulations on the extent of the cloud. He says the safety report took into account more than 300 possible scenarios, regardless of probability, including a breach in tank of one metre diameter.

3.35pm: Nationalist Party candidate Mark Anthony Sammut says safety reports should have been prepared six months before the start of operations, in line with the Seveso directive.  
Mr Sammut further questions the simulations that have ruled out the possibility of a gas cloud spreading to the Marsaxlokk residential area even under a worst-case scenario. He calls for an independent assessment of the risk – rather than relying on reports commissioned by the operators – citing the enormous risk posed to residents if the simulations prove to be flawed.

3.21pm: Introducing himself in Maltese, English and Chinese, Joe Cutajar, Labour mayor of Birzebbuga, defends the project, rebutting safety concerns by reminding the ERA of health issues related to the old power station. “The people of Birzebbuga want the power station to run on gas,” he says to loud applause.

3.12pm: Acting CPD director Emmanuel Psaila once again defends the department’s approach. He says CPD officials have travelled to Rotterdam for specific training in relation to LNG, and stresses that the Seveso directive provides a two-year window for procedures to be reviewed, tested and updated.

“That is what we are doing. We are taking everything into account and acting accordingly. This is not our first COMAH site. We are not talking about evacuations because the safety reports show that even in the worst-case scenario, the cloud will never reach Marsaxlokk. So why should we alarm people?”

He adds, in response to some media reports, that former director John Rizzo did not resign over the matter but had been planning his resignation for several months.

3.05pm: Nationalist MP Ryan Callus labels the ERA public consultation process a “farce” and a breach of the Seveso regulations and the Aarhus Convention, a European agreement on access to information and public participation in environmental decisions.

He says the ERA failed in its duty to provide adequate scrutiny on the information provided by the applicants and that the four day notification period before today’s hearing – announced on Wednesday – was insufficient.

He added that members of the public only received replies to their submissions last Thursday, which did not leave enough time to prepare for the hearing.

Furthermore, Mr Callus says, the Seveso directive specifically requires the public be given the right to give its opinion on the external emergency plan.

He again questions the CPD's decision to withhold part of the plan for national security reasons.

Safety reports show that even in the worst-case scenario, the cloud will never reach Marsaxlokk.- Acting CPD director Emmanuel Psaila

2.37pm: Uproar in the meeting room as Joanna Spiteri Staines from Din L-Art Ħelwa attempts to pass her allotted speaking time back to Dr Fenech.

The large crowd at the back of the room, the vast majority supporting the project, immediately burst into shouts. “We’ve been listening to her for 25 years,” one person shouts, while another makes flatulence noises.  

The ERA chair threatens to remove people from the room.

2.33pm: Transport Malta responds by reiterating that full certification for both the jetty and storm moorings had been received and appeared to be in order.

The authority says the certification is a tied to a set procedure for stormy weather, which could be activated days in advance as soon as the weather is forecast.

Electrogas, meanwhile, brings forward a number of experts to address different aspects of Dr Fenech’s complaints. They insist that the process of designing the jetty and storm mooring was international industry-standard.

On the geological structure, the Environmental Impact Assessment consultants stand by their conclusion, based on recent assessments, that the unstable area is more than 250 metres from the jetty.

The permit application also covers the LNG tanker docked in Marsaxlokk.The permit application also covers the LNG tanker docked in Marsaxlokk.

2.06pm: Dr Fenech claims that neither the FSU moorings nor the maximum wave height of the jetty have been given full certification, as claimed by Transport Malta earlier.

She points to a line in the reports staing that: “Further conditions will be included as part of the IPPC permit requesting the operator to submit full certification prior to commissioning of installation.”

“I cannot understand how they can stand here today without full certification when the crucial issue is precisely whether this ship is safe within an open bay like Marsaxlokk. It is not enough to present reams of reports if the reports do not tally with reality.”

Dr Fenech also argues that the ERA’s information on the geological structure of the surrounding area is incorrect, insisting that a rock collapse mentioned earlier was in fact directly behind the proposed jetty.

It is not enough to present reams of reports if the reports do not tally with reality.- Ann Fenech

1.46pm: After nearly half an hour at the microphone, Dr Fenech is asked to conclude within 10 minutes. She takes the opportunity to remind the ERA that they rejected the PN’s request for a meeting before today’s hearing.

1.40pm: The meeting room is now nearly full.

Nationalist Party president Ann Fenech renews the back-and-forth with risk analyst Dr Papadakis, insisting the safety reports do indeed refer to an “acceptable” number of fatalities. She quotes from the nautical quantitative risk analysis: “regarding the societal risk, in the unlikely event of an accident, the number of fatalities is acceptable”.

“I would ask the COMAH representative not to insult our intelligence,” she says.

“I pose the question again: exactly how many fatalities are acceptable? And in which other country has a risk analysis been carried out for a FSU in an unprotected bay. There has been no response to this question so far.”

Dr Fenech claims that board members are being misled by comparisons with similar FSU set-ups in Klaipėda, Lithuania, and La Spezia, Italy; she shows maps illustrating that both ports are significantly more protected than Marsaxlokk.

Testing of emergency procedures, Dr Fenech insists, should take place before, not after, the systems are put in place. What residents should do in an emergency should have no bearing on national security, she adds.

1.24pm: Electrogas project manager Catherine Halpin stresses that the outer limits of the operators’ safety plans have been independently confirmed. She assures residents that the company has a “comprehensive suite of insurances”.

1.21pm: George Papadakis, who advised the COMAH authority on the risk analysis, responds to Mr Ciantar’s concerns.

He says that it is the risk of fatality, not the number of potential fatalities, that is considered: the Malta Land Use Planning Policy (established in 2004) establishes the risk of fatality that is acceptable in different areas. The formula employed, he says, is that the risk should be lower than 1x10-9 (1-in-1,000,000,000).

Dr Papadakis says there is no difference between the Seveso II and the later Seveso III regulations on risk assessment or safety report requirements.

Meanwhile, a CPD representative says evacuation is just one part of a multi-stage emergency response plan; the exact measures taken would depend on the scale and nature of any potential incident.

He adds that the first advice for residents in an emergency situation is to stay indoors and follow the media for updates from the authorities.

A first emergency exercise could be carried out next year.

1.03pm: Engineer Arthur Ciantar has claimed that the few meetings that had taken place did not meet the Seveso III requirement for “effective public consultation”.

Neither I nor anyone else in Marsaxlokk would like to become a statistic.- Arthur Ciantar


“There has been no information: we do not even know what the alarm for an incident will sound like. It is unthinkable that something like this will be introduced without a test of safety procedures or an evacuation exercise.”

“The people of Marsaxlokk are in a precarious situation, but nobody will tell us how many people could actually die if something goes wrong. What insurance is being offered to residents, to fishermen?”

12.53pm: After a brief coffee break, the meeting has resumed, and it's now time for members of the public to make their comments.

Arthur Ciantar, an engineer and Marsaxlokk resident who has filed a judicial protest against the approval of the permit, has questioned the legal basis for an “acceptable” number of potential fatalities, as established in the safety reports.

“Under what provision of Maltese law will the death of these people be justified? Is the risk matrix we’ve seen backed up by any vote of Parliament? Otherwise it can be legally challenged – and I intend to do just that. Neither I nor anyone else in Marsaxlokk would like to become a statistic.”

Mr Ciantar added that the Seveso II regulations, referenced by the ERA in their response to him on the issue, had become defunct last year (replaced by Seveso III).

“The legal basis for all these issues has to be established before the permit can be granted, or the whole thing has to go back to the drawing board,” Mr Ciantar said.

12pm: The ERA itself is now giving a run-down of the consultation meetings – including with NGOs, local councils and members of the public – held between October and November, as well as the response to a number of concerns raised during the meeting.

  • Generation of waste will be reduced
  • Waste waters will all be treated and regular monitoring will be required to ensure protection of bathing water.
  • Conditions on noise pollution will be included in the permit.
  • The setting-up of a management committee with local councils will be addressed in the permit.
  • Fireworks can still be let off from the same area, although conditions can still be imposed by the police.
  • Transport Malta confirmed risks from low-flying aircraft, and the area will be declared a no-fly zone.

The ERA looked into geological concerns over falling rocks but found that the area in question is over 250 metres away and any projectiles would not affect the jetty or FSU.

Several concerns were raised about evacuation and emergency procedures, as well as the responsible authority for any emergency on the seaward part of the installation.

The ERA said the external emergency plan – part of which has not been published for national security reasons – will only come into effect in the event of a major accident and will not necessarily require an evacuation. Drills will be carried out at least once every three years. Any emergency on-site will be considered a major accident and will be handled at national level.

11.35am: An advisor for the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) authority has confirmed that all risks were found to be “within acceptable and tolerable limits and compatible with the surrounding activities provided that all safeguards … are properly implemented and maintained,” in line with the requirements of the Seveso III regulations.

11.08am: The Civil Protection Department, which is responsible for drafting an External Emergency Plan, is now presenting the measures to be taken in case of a major incident. In the case of an LNG release or major fire, a Vapour Cloud Control Area has been identified, encompassing a large part of the bay, while the whole of the Delimara peninsula would be evacuated.

The worst-case scenario, of four considered by the CPD and international consultants Falck, would be a premeditated deliberate attack by someone with inside knowledge of the facility.

According to the CPD, such a situation would require two fire-fighting tugs and two industrial fire-fighting appliances – which have either already been procured or will be in place by next year, with temporary measures in place until then.

A new Industrial Fire Station has also been built in Delimara to respond to any incidents at the power station and surrounding facilities.

The CPD also showed test footage demonstrating how LNG burns and spreads significantly slower than a comparable release of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

11am: A Transport Malta representative confirms that the jetty, floating storage unit (FSU) and storm moorings have all been certified as complying with applicable international codes and standards.

An exclusion zone will be in place around the FSU when secured at the jetty, and wider during refuelling and storm mooring, although a navigable fairway will be maintained at all times.

Transport Malta also identified a wave height limit of 2.5 metres when moored and 2 metres during transfer, but the representative adds that all navigation manoeuvres will be carried out with two professional pilots on board and four tugboats assisting.

10:27am:  Electrogas project manager Catherine Halpin is delivering her presentation on the new gas-fired plant and LNG tanker.

Ms Halpin says the ‘spread mooring system’ which will moor the floating storage unit some 70 metres out from the jetty during stormy weather is designed to one-in-100 year conditions and will leave room for fishing boats and other small vessels to get past.

She stresses the multi-level safety and mitigation systems that will be in place around the plant, and highlights the lower emissions and marine discharge of the new system.

10am: The public hearing has begun with a presentation by Enemalta. Some 50 people are present at the Catholic Institute in Floriana, including Nationalist Party representatives Ann Fenech and Ryan Callus, who last week attacked the ERA for not agreeing to a private meeting with the party.

ERA chairman Victor Axiak is not present due to a conflict of interest, having served as an independent consultant on the Environmental Impact Assessment for the project.

More updates to follow

----

The Environment and Resources Authority will today decide whether to grant an integrated prevention and pollution control permit for the new gas-fired power station in Delimara.

The decision will be made in the course of a public meeting that began at around 10am. 

As well as the Electrogas power station itself, the IPPC permit also covers the LNG (liquefied natural gas) terminal and floating storage facility, also operated by Electrogas, and the conversion of the BWSC plant to gas.

Controversy over the power station has raged throughout the summer, and yesterday the Church waded into the fray, saying ERA board members who would make the decision had a duty to respond "serenely and truthfully" to issues raised during the public consultation stage and today's meeting. 

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil used his Sunday speech to urge ERA board members to vote in the national interest, and not in that of "the Prime Minister who appointed them." 

The power station operators, meanwhile, have told the Times of Malta that the new plant could be operational by mid-February if the IPPC permit is granted – nearly two years after the original deadline of March 2015, pledged by the Labour Party in the run-up to the last general election. 

 

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