❓ Question regarding Alcoa's Wagerup refinery production increase and potential health impacts, answered by the Minister for the Environment clarifying the increase is within previously approved annual limits and doesn't increase VOC emissions.
AnsweredQoN 723Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
ALCOA’S WAGERUP REFINERY - PRODUCTION INCREASE
Can the minister explain why Alcoa was recently allowed a 1 000-tonnes-a-day increase in production on its current Wagerup licence without any consultation, despite ongoing health issues in the local community and a decision on a major expansion of the facility currently facing the minister? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH
Can the minister explain why Alcoa was recently allowed a 1 000-tonnes-a-day increase in production on its current Wagerup licence without any consultation, despite ongoing health issues in the local community and a decision on a major expansion of the facility currently facing the minister? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response - The new Wagerup refinery licence, which became effective from midnight on 12 August 2006, allows for an increase in the daily production limit of calcined alumina from 7 400 to 8 400 tonnes a day. This increase simply enables the annual production limit that was approved 12 months ago to be achieved. The refinery cannot exceed more than an average production of 7 123 tonnes a day over the year. Also, the limits on the amount of volatile organic compounds produced by the refinery have not been increased. In other words, the refinery is expected to continue to operate within the emission limits previously set in the licence. The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response - The new Wagerup refinery licence, which became effective from midnight on 12 August 2006, allows for an increase in the daily production limit of calcined alumina from 7 400 to 8 400 tonnes a day. This increase simply enables the annual production limit that was approved 12 months ago to be achieved. The refinery cannot exceed more than an average production of 7 123 tonnes a day over the year. Also, the limits on the amount of volatile organic compounds produced by the refinery have not been increased. In other words, the refinery is expected to continue to operate within the emission limits previously set in the licence. The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response - The new Wagerup refinery licence, which became effective from midnight on 12 August 2006, allows for an increase in the daily production limit of calcined alumina from 7 400 to 8 400 tonnes a day. This increase simply enables the annual production limit that was approved 12 months ago to be achieved. The refinery cannot exceed more than an average production of 7 123 tonnes a day over the year. Also, the limits on the amount of volatile organic compounds produced by the refinery have not been increased. In other words, the refinery is expected to continue to operate within the emission limits previously set in the licence. The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
The new Wagerup refinery licence, which became effective from midnight on 12 August 2006, allows for an increase in the daily production limit of calcined alumina from 7 400 to 8 400 tonnes a day. This increase simply enables the annual production limit that was approved 12 months ago to be achieved. The refinery cannot exceed more than an average production of 7 123 tonnes a day over the year. Also, the limits on the amount of volatile organic compounds produced by the refinery have not been increased. In other words, the refinery is expected to continue to operate within the emission limits previously set in the licence. The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response - The new Wagerup refinery licence, which became effective from midnight on 12 August 2006, allows for an increase in the daily production limit of calcined alumina from 7 400 to 8 400 tonnes a day. This increase simply enables the annual production limit that was approved 12 months ago to be achieved. The refinery cannot exceed more than an average production of 7 123 tonnes a day over the year. Also, the limits on the amount of volatile organic compounds produced by the refinery have not been increased. In other words, the refinery is expected to continue to operate within the emission limits previously set in the licence. The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. The Minister for the Environment has provided the following response - The new Wagerup refinery licence, which became effective from midnight on 12 August 2006, allows for an increase in the daily production limit of calcined alumina from 7 400 to 8 400 tonnes a day. This increase simply enables the annual production limit that was approved 12 months ago to be achieved. The refinery cannot exceed more than an average production of 7 123 tonnes a day over the year. Also, the limits on the amount of volatile organic compounds produced by the refinery have not been increased. In other words, the refinery is expected to continue to operate within the emission limits previously set in the licence. The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
The new Wagerup refinery licence, which became effective from midnight on 12 August 2006, allows for an increase in the daily production limit of calcined alumina from 7 400 to 8 400 tonnes a day. This increase simply enables the annual production limit that was approved 12 months ago to be achieved. The refinery cannot exceed more than an average production of 7 123 tonnes a day over the year. Also, the limits on the amount of volatile organic compounds produced by the refinery have not been increased. In other words, the refinery is expected to continue to operate within the emission limits previously set in the licence. The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
The proposal to increase the daily production limit and the consequential health risk assessment have been discussed by the Wagerup tripartite group since May 2006. Although not all members were in agreement with the increase, the department, after considering the findings of the HRA, was satisfied that there would not be an increase in health risk. The environmental licence is for the current refinery and is in no way related to the proposed expansion. The department is undertaking an extensive air sampling program in the Wagerup area to better understand emissions transport processes that may be impacting on local communities.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.