Closing date to comment on power plant sewage plans (From Western Telegraph)

Closing date to comment on power plant sewage plans

1:20pm Monday 25th February 2013 in News

The public have until today (Monday) to comment on Pembroke Power Station’s plans to operate its own sewage treatment plant.

The power station currently transports its sewage off-site to be treated and discharged, but RWE npower has applied to change its environmental permit to allow it to operate its own treatment plant.

The sewage plant is intended to treat domestic sewage generated on the site while the station is operational and does not affect the station’s power generating activities.

Environment Agency (EA) Wales says it will only approve The plans if there will be no harm to human health or the Pembrokeshire Marine Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

The agency says it will investigate the proposals and if the application does meet the criteria, the operation will have to adhere to the same strict standards as the rest of the site.

Steve Brown, from Environment Agency Wales, said: “We will thoroughly scrutinise these new plans and any potential impact they may have on the sensitive, protected environment the power station discharges into.

“Our priority is to ensure that local people and the environment continue to be safeguarded, and we will only allow a change to the permit if we are confident of this.”

Pembroke Power Station manager Stephen Glover said: “Pembroke Power Station has applied to the EA to operate an on-site sewage treatment plant.

“Currently the waste is transported by road to the local sewage treatment works in Pembroke Dock because the site is not connected to the main sewer.

This application is no different to any other property or premises which wishes to operate their own sewage treatment plant under similar circumstances.

“We care about our local community and the environment in which we operate and we will continue to conduct our business in accordance with the strict conditions set out in our environmental permit.”

The closing date for comments is today February 25, 2013. Copies of the application are available to view at the public registers at County Hall, Haverfordwest, and at The Environment Agency, Maes Newydd, Llandarcy, Neath Port Talbot, SA10 6JQ.

More details can be viewed online at www.environmentagency.gov.uk/research/library/ consultations/118031.aspx.