EIA Report: East Rockingham Waste to Energy Facility Proposal Analysis

This report presents an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of a waste-to-energy facility proposed by the New Energy Corporation in Rockingham. The report addresses key environmental factors as considered by the EPA, focusing on air quality and social surroundings. It details the project's scope, including construction and operation of the facility, potential emissions, and noise impacts. The assessment also includes public submissions and the EPA's recommendations, ensuring the project adheres to environmental regulations. The report analyzes the potential impacts on the surrounding environment and provides a comprehensive overview of the project's environmental considerations, including waste management, emissions, and potential risks, while also highlighting the importance of adhering to environmental regulations.

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Introduction
This report will provide recommendations and advice to the Environmental Protection
Agency and to the Minister for Environment regarding the results of the EIA of the proposal by
the New Energy Corporation. The main aim of the proposal is the construction and operation of
the Waste to Energy facility in the industrial zone of Rockingham. The site is specifically the Lot
1, 26 office Road, East Rockingham.
The report is set out according to the what the EPA considers the key environmental
factors during the time of assessment. While it is important to mention that the internationally it
has been demonstrated regarding the waste to energy plants. While it is important to mention that
the emission standards are within the emission standards that are acceptable both in terms of
health impact and environmental impact. The plant is deigned and operated using the processes
and technologies that are best (Epa.wa.gov.au 2019).
Proposal
The title of the proposal: East Rockingham Waste to Energy revised proposal. The
proposal is to construct and operate of a waste to energy facility at the lot no 1, 26 office road.
East of Rockingham. The waste to energy facility will be comprising of the treatment are and
boot ash handling area, boiler, combustion system, waste bunker and reception hall and other
associated infrastructure.

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Figure 1: Map of the site

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Figure 2: map of the site

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Screening or referral
For this section the office of the EPA will be referred. The senior Environmental officer
of the Mining and the industrial branch. The project will include a incinerator/gasifier thermal
capacity, generation capacity, the construction period will be approximately be for 12 months
and life of plant is approximately taken as 25 years. One of the highlighting fact is that the native
vegetation will be cleared and the site will have the input of power, water, and waste throughput.
The feedstock waste will include a waste retrieval for gasification and waste recycling or reuse
or disposal offsite. The plant will process wastes and it will include grey water or sewage water,
waste water, scrubbing system residues, and bottom ash. Due to this it is necessary to conduct a
screening process (Epa.wa.gov.au 2019).
Scoping
The key issues that are to be assessed are the air quality and social surroundings. The air
quality will be assessed because dust emission will take place during the period of construction;
during the operations the waste to energy facility will have two emission points; gaseous
emissions will emanate from the main stack; fugitive will release from the storage bay and waste
received. All these activities will lead to the emission of dusts during the period of construction.
The plant will accept a range of wastes that will even include wastes like plastics and with other
types of wastes. The process has the potential to release a wide range of air contaminants in the
stream of exhaust gas including the acidic gases like HF, HCL, NOX, SOX; toxic compounds,
dioxins and other heavy metals. The plant will also handle the putrescible materials and it will
also result in foul odour. The plant can potentially generate greenhouse gases.

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Secondly, the next objective is to assess the surrounding from the significant amount of
harm. The activities that can cause harm to the environment: the waste to energy facility will
generate noise and noise will also be generated during the operation and the construction phases.
The noise that will be generated from the waste to energy facility will lead to the impact the
noise sensitive premises like the nearby residences. However, it is important to mention that the
facility needs to operate 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. The potential risks: it is important to
mention that there are numerous commercial premises, light industrial complexes and the
industrial premises within the radius of 1 km. This will be potentially impacted by noise. A
residential area is present about 2.5 km from the waste to energy facility. Moreover, there is also
an isolated dwelling about 1.1 km away from the proposed site.
Environmental impact statement
The main emission of air pollutants will occur from the operational facilities that has a 60
m main stack. The main emission will generate from the waste to energy plant and it will
include: odour, traces of the acids like sulphur oxide and HCL, water vapour, heavy metals,
hazardous air pollutants and formaldehyde, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, semi-volatile
organics, low levels of organics, and oxides of nitrogen. The operation of the waste to energy
facility will lead to the generation of odour and noise. This will potentially impact the
surrounding environment. Noise will be generated from the operational phase of the facility and
from the construction of the facility (usage of equipment and machinery).
Public Review
public submitter 1- There are existing facilities that can be modernised so that it can take
the wastes generated from the residences. The facility must be located near a heavy industry that
is producing the waste.

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public submitter 2- the submitter has shared the concern that the Rockingham will be dealing
with the wastes from the Mindarie and North East area. The report also lacks the cost to
Rockingham, and destruction of the environment, financial impact. The residents of Rockingham
live within the proximity of the pristine bush land.
Public submitter 3- This public submitter has shared that that the potentially dangerous
substances will be remaining in the site as it is.
public submitter 4- the submitter supported the proposal and highlighted that western Australia
does not have the capacity of recycling waste materials economically (Epa.wa.gov.au 2019).
Assessment
The project is assessed by the EPA and it has been highlighted that the proposal might be
implemented and on one condition that the proposal is carried out according to the procedures
and conditions set out in Section 44(2) and Section 45(1) of the EP Act. The matter that are
addressed ensures the non-permissible wastes are restricted at the waste to energy facility, and
only the genuine wastes are processed.

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Reference
Dutta, A.B. and Sengupta, I., 2014. Environmental impact assessment (EIA) and construction.
International Research Journal of Environmental Sciences, 3(1), pp.58-61.
Ehrlich, A. and Ross, W., 2015. The significance spectrum and EIA significance determinations.
Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 33(2), pp.87-97.
Epa.wa.gov.au, 2019. East Rockingham Waste to Energy Facility Revised Proposal | EPA
Western Australia. [online] Epa.wa.gov.au. Available at:
http://www.epa.wa.gov.au/proposals/east-rockingham-waste-energy-facility-revised-proposal
[Accessed 24 Apr. 2019].
Leme, M.M.V., Rocha, M.H., Lora, E.E.S., Venturini, O.J., Lopes, B.M. and Ferreira, C.H.,
2014. Techno-economic analysis and environmental impact assessment of energy recovery from
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Brazil. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 87, pp.8-20.