Perth Monday, 5 August 2013

• Appeals against Alcoa’s licence application dismissed
• Production at Wagerup bauxite refinery to increase by 50,000 tonnes a year
• Cogeneration plant at Alcoa’s Wagerup operations relicensed

Environment Minister Albert Jacob today dismissed appeals against a licence issued to Alcoa to increase production at its Wagerup refinery by 50,000 tonnes per annum.

In deciding to dismiss the appeals the Minister has taken into account the advice from the Appeals Convenor and noted that as part of the approval, significant measures had been put in place to ensure the licence would not increase volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions from the refinery. These measures include a VOC emissions reduction project.

“Alcoa will also be required to publish the results of its odour and air monitoring on its website to give the community access to the information,” Mr Jacob said.

“In addition, a Technical Advisory Panel will be established with representatives from Alcoa, the Department of Environment Regulation (DER) and the local community to improve communications about production and emissions from the Wagerup refinery.”

The Minister said he had also accepted the Appeals Convenor’s advice and dismissed a range of appeal grounds which were unrelated to the amendments to the licence and fell outside of the scope of the appeal.

Mr Jacob also dismissed appeals against the reissuing of a licence for Alcoa’s cogeneration power plant on the same site as the refinery.

“I have dismissed the appeals against the reissuing of the licence for the cogeneration power plant because there were no changes to the conditions of this reissued licence from the previous licence issued by DER,” he said.

Full details of the Minister’s determination are available on the Appeal Convenor’s website at - http://www.appealsconvenor.wa.gov.au

Fact File

• Information on appeals available at http://www.appealsconvenor.wa.gov.au
• Ministerial Statement 729 for Alcoa’s cogeneration plant: http://www.epa.wa.gov.au