Mehrtens questions generator pollution at Woy Woy tip

Local ward councillor Richard Mehrtens says he is none the wiser having received a report about the pollution generated by a methane-powered electricity generator at Woy Woy tip.

Central Coast Council staff provided the report to the March 25 council meeting in answer to questions he asked at council's February 11 meeting.

Cr Mehrtens asked if council staff were concerned about the pollution generated by the "gas abatement" facility operated by AGL at the Nagari Rd tip.

Cr Mehrten said the AGL plant was the only registered industrial facility listed in the 2256 postcode area on the Australian Government's National Pollutant Inventory.

He said it was listed as emitting a total of 102,180kg pollutants.

This included 61,000kg of carbon monoxide, 28,000kg of nitrogen oxides and 12,000kg of sulphur dioxide.

The inventory listed 11 other pollutants including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, polychlorinated dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as particulate matter.

Council staff reported that the AGL facility at Woy Woy tip was a renewable energy generation plant, operated under a long-term contract.

Gas generated from within the landfill at the Woy Woy tip was captured and converted to energy.

The report stated that the conversion of the methane enriched gas into electricity at this site was not considered to impact on local air quality.

It said the landfill gas was predominately comprised of methane and was converted to electricity through the use of a generator.

The resulting electricity was then sold into the grid.

From the year to August 2018, the one megawatt generator produced 7437.12 megawatts of electricity which was equivalent to meeting electricity needs for about 1191 average Central Coast homes.

The report estimated the methane destroyed by the facility was equivalent to 38,197 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

This would be equivalent to removing 11,234 cars from the road for one year, the report said.

The report stated that the Australian Clean Energy Regulator recognised the greenhouse gas abatement and renewable energy activities undertaken at the tip and the site qualified for Australian Carbon Credit Units and Large-scale Generation Certificates.

After the staff response, Cr Mehrtens said he still had no idea, if the pollution level was a lot or a little.

He said he would seek more information from staff.

SOURCE:

Central Coast Council agenda 5.7, 25 March 2019

Website, 4 Apr 2019

Woy Woy Landfill, NPI