INSTALLING scrubbers at Alcoa’s Anglesea coal-fired power station would cost at least $175 million, according to Surf Coast Shire, which this week voted in favour of stronger national clean air laws.
And closure of the plant, without alternative operations taking its place, would savage the shire’s economy, a council report has warned.
The controversial power station, which Alcoa has unsuccessfully been looking to sell, faces an uncertain future as protesters continue their campaign to shut it down – with the loss of more than 80 jobs.
Surf Coast Shire last year identified “significant risks” for its economy with Alcoa’s sell plans.
“Closure with no alternative use of the site is likely to have the greatest negative impacts on employment and economic activity,” an officer report to the council stated this week.
The clean air vote, on Tuesday night, came in tandem with a report showing the shire needed to find 7500 new jobs – including 3000 within its borders — to meet population growth demands over the next 15 years.
Surf Coast’s population growth has averaged 3.3 per cent since 2008 – the sixth-fastest growing municipality in the state.
The population is tipped to climb from 29,247 last year to 44,787 in 2031, underpinning the need for “significant job creation initiatives to ensure employment keeps pace with population growth”, an officer’s report to council stated.
The proposed National Clean Air Agreement would work to reduce air pollution and improve air quality at national, state and local levels.
An officer’s report to the council, however, said it was not known if facility upgrades would be required if air standards for particulate matter and/or sulphur dioxide were strengthened.
Surf Coast Air Action has described as “scandalous” new National Pollutant Inventory figures suggesting plant emissions has increased significantly.
The NPI claims PM10 emissions — particulate matter 10 micrometres or less in diameter — climbed from 140,000kg in 2012-2013 to 240,000 kg in 2013-2014 and sulphur dioxide emissions from 39,000,000kg in 2012-2013 to 43,000,000kg in 2013-2014.
Alcoa has consistently argued its emissions are all within regulations.
