Community concerned after power station confirms increased air pollution

“To meet increased electricity demand at GPS, we briefly postponed non-urgent planned maintenance, resulting in some visible emissions from Stack 3.”

Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner Jaclyn McCosker has asked the state government to tighten the pollution license for Gladstone Power Station after increased pollution sparked concern from the community.Â

A clean energy campaigner claims Gladstone NRG Power Station is producing increased pollution around town.

Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner Jaclyn McCosker has asked the state government to tighten the pollution license for Gladstone Power Station after apparent increased pollution sparked concern from the community.

Ms McCosker said she had spoken with many residents who were worried about the apparent increase in air pollution.

“Billowing particle pollution has been clearly visible from one of the chimneys in recent weeks and people are concerned about what’s going into the air,” Ms McCosker said.

Australian Conservation Foundation campaigner Jaclyn McCosker has asked the state government to tighten the pollution license for Gladstone Power Station after increased pollution sparked concern from the community.Â

Ms McCosker said the power station had self-reported a huge increase in particulate emissions for the 2019-20 financial year, despite energy output going down.

“The power station is just over a kilometre from densely populated parts of the city,” she said.

“In Australia, coal-fired power stations remain the main source of fine particle pollution (PM2.5), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and mercury — the air pollutants most toxic to human health.”

Ms McCosker claimed the station had no limits on the amount of mercury pollution it could emit.

“Exposure to high levels of mercury can permanently damage the brain, kidneys and babies in the womb,” she said.

“Gladstone’s limits are woeful compared to comparable limits around the world and the licence here is too weak to protect the health of people in Gladstone.”

According to Environmental Justice Australia, Gladstone Power Station has no limit on the amount of Sulfar and Mercury it can emit in the air whereas stations in China, Japan and the US there is a limit of 30-640mg/m3 respectively.

Gladstone NRG Power Station general manager Greg Mills said GPS had been operating at an increased electricity generation level to ensure power security in Queensland after recent system disruptions.

“To meet increased electricity demand at GPS, we briefly postponed non-urgent planned maintenance, resulting in some visible emissions from Stack 3,” Mr Mills said.

“That planned maintenance work, employing up to an additional 400 workers over 12 weeks, has commenced.

NRG Gladstone Power Station has confirmed it was operating an an increased electricity generation level to keep up with demand.

Mr Mills said GPS would continue to operate within its environmental regulatory thresholds and took steps to limit any impact by reducing the load through the relevant unit until it was removed from service last week.

Ms McCosker said ACF had asked the power station to fix its immediate problems as well as called on the Queensland Environment Minister to set licence limits.

“ACF calls on the Queensland Environment Minister to set licence limits that will actually protect the people of Gladstone from these toxic pollutants.”