PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Oil and gas major Origin Energy has been fined A$15 000 by the New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after dust from an ash dam at its Eraring power station was blown offsite during strong winds.
The EPA inspected the site in September 2016 after receiving multiple complaints from members of the public.
EPA director Hunter Karen Marler said the company’s failure to appropriately manage the storage of ash was unacceptable.
“While a strong north westerly wind caused the dust to leave the dam, this could have been avoided. Management of ash is so important because it can cause impacts on the environment, including smothering aquatic environments and generating dust pollution.
“To prevent this type of incident in the future, Origin Energy has reviewed and is developing an ash dam dust monitoring network to inform its emergency response,” the company said on Monday.