Alcoa appeals overruled

The minister took into account 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 emissions from the refinery.

These measures include a VOC emissions reduction project.

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

He said a Technical Advisory Panel would be established with representatives from Alcoa, the Department of Environment Regulation and the community to improve communications about production and emissions from the Wagerup refinery.’

Mr Jacob 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.

He also dismissed appeals against the reissuing of a licence for Alcoa’s co-generation power plant on the same site as the refinery.

‘I dismissed the appeals against the reissuing of the licence for the co-generation power plant because there were no changes to the conditions of this reissued licence from the previous licence issued by DER,’ he said.