The Environment Protection Authority has given the green light for Energy Brix Australia to dispose of asbestos on site at the old Morwell Power Station.
EBAC plans to store 15,000 cubic metres of asbestos from the power station in a deep sealed-off ash pit.
EPA assessment executive director Tim Eaton said they had considered factors including Worksafe and other regulatory agencies before approving the application.
“This included how EBAC will manage the safe handling, storage, management and final containment of the [asbestos] in the landfill to protect the environment and human health,” Mr Eaton said.
Part of the EBAC application was that it would not accept asbestos from outside sources and the landfill site would operate for a maximum of two years.
The application is due to come before Latrobe City Council tonight in a separate approval process after councillors raised concerns about the application at last month’s meeting.
Councillors had instead voted to reconvene to discuss finding a place to take the asbestos off-site, citing concerns about the power station’s proximity to residential areas.
EBAC remediation project manager Barry Dungey said he was pleased with the EPA decision after spending the past 12 months looking for the most suitable site.
Mr Dungey said he gave a presentation to council a fortnight ago about the details of the application.
“We’ve spent $200,000 in design work to meet all appropriate standards and it complies with all EPA guidelines,” Mr Dungey said.
“We are not expecting any major issues, and I don’t think people will notice it’s there, and from an amenity point of view, no houses will see where it will be disposed.”
Mr Dungey said the pit would be fully-sealed at the end of each day and it was located in a protected area away from prevailing winds.
He said if Latrobe rejected the application the asbestos would have to be loaded into trucks and taken to disposal sites in Melbourne or Geelong.
“This is extremely risky if we had a truck accident,” he said.
