Covalent Lithium admits its Kwinana refinery is source of ‘toxic’ odour
A lithium refinery has admitted responsibility for ‘toxic’ smells plaguing Perth suburbs after residents suffered physical symptoms and even moved homes to escape the odour.
Nelson Bettencourt has lived near the West Australian industrial precinct of Kwinana for decades and has grown used to the aromas that emanate from its factories and refineries. But the smell that hit him as he drove past the area on his way to work in the early hours of a September morning was like nothing he had ever experienced.
“As soon as I hit that area, it took my breath away,” he told The Australian. “Down there that day you could feel it in your eyes and the back of your throat.”
The smell – described as a sickly sweet scent of burning plastic – has been noticed by people in recent months throughout the suburbs surrounding Kwinana.
A woman named Emily, who did not want to use her last name, was living in the area for seven years before she too started to notice the smell several months ago. She says her partner and a neighbour both started suffering nosebleeds when the odour blew into their suburb.
“Obviously, you smell occasional things coming from the industry, but this just blankets the air. It’s like burning plastic, just a heavy, toxic smell,” she told The Australian.
She and her partner brought forward plans to move out of the area, but she says that when the wind is blowing in the right direction she can still detect whiffs of the scent in her new neighbourhood 15km away.
The incidents have coincided with the commissioning of two new facilities in the industrial precinct: Covalent Lithium’s lithium hydroxide refinery and Acciona’s Kwinana Energy Recovery facility, a huge incinerator that burns rubbish to generate electricity.
Data from WA’s Department of Water and Environmental Regulation provided to The Australian shows that the number of industrial odour complaints lodged by people in nearby suburbs has doubled since 2022. Some 32 complaints explicitly identified Covalent Lithium as the source, while 21 complainants singled out the incinerator as the cause.
In response to queries from The Australian, however, Covalent Lithium – a 50-50 joint venture between conglomerate Wesfarmers and Chilean lithium producer SQM – confirmed that it was the source of the smell.
“Covalent Lithium is aware of odour reports from some of our Kwinana Refinery’s industrial neighbours and is actively addressing the issue. The odour is associated with the refinery’s commissioning ramp-up,” a spokeswoman for Covalent said. “We take these reports seriously and enhanced health and hygiene monitoring has confirmed that occupational exposure standards have not been exceeded.”
Acciona, the Spain-based renewable energy group that owns the Kwinana incinerator, denied being the source of the smell.
“Acciona is aware the regulator is currently investigating all industrial facilities and operators within the Kwinana Industrial Area in relation to an odour issue; however, this has not been linked to the Kwinana Energy Recovery Facility,” a spokeswoman for the company said.
She said the facility used “an advanced odour control system” and that emissions from the incinerator’s stack were odourless.
WA’s Department of Water and Environmental Regulation told The Australian that it had started investigating the increase in odour complaints.
“We acknowledge community concerns and are aware that growth in economic activity, industry and population has likely contributed to the increase,” a DWER spokesman said. “The department will continue to proactively work with industry and local government to manage any potential impacts from existing heavy industry on nearby residential areas, so these can be managed within our regulatory framework.”
The lithium refinery – built as part of Covalent’s broader $2.3bn investment in the Mt Holland lithium mine and associated processing infrastructure – has been heralded by the federal and WA governments as an example of opportunities facing Australia in the rapidly growing battery supply chain.
The plant sits within Premier Roger Cook’s electorate of Kwinana, as well as the federal electorate of Brand, held by Resources Minister Madeleine King.
A spokesman for the WA government confirmed it was aware of the rising number of odour complaints coinciding with increasing industrial activity in the area.
“All complaints – including these recent complaints in Kwinana – are taken seriously and followed up by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, which regularly works with industry to mitigate odours,” the spokesman said.
In the meantime, Covalent says it is looking into what it can do to resolve the issue. “A detailed odour assessment program is under way along with the evaluation of engineering solutions to manage the issue effectively,” the Covalent spokeswoman said. “Covalent Lithium is working closely with the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation and continues to engage openly with its industrial neighbours.”
Disclosure: Paul Garvey’s family holds shares in Wesfarmers
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