The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) Board has today, 19 December 2016, approved the IPPC permit authorising the continued operation of Delimara 1, 2a and 2b to be operated by Enemalta Plc., Delimara 3 (conversion from HFO/ gasoil to Natural Gas) to be operated by Delimara 3 Power Generation Ltd., and Delimara 4 CCGT and LNG Terminal to be operated by ElectroGas Malta Ltd. at the Delimara Power Station (DPS).
The IPPC permit issued covers a number of monitoring obligations which operators are to fulfil throughout the validity of the permit to ensure the required level of environment protection.
This permit is for a multi operator installation under the Industrial emissions (IPPC) Regulations, and includes a regulatory framework which covers operations common to all three operators, as well as operator specific sub permits regulating the operations of individual operators.
Electrogas Malta Ltd as operator of the Floating Storage Unit (FSU), Regasification plant and the three new combined cycle gas turbines are required to submit specific information (as detailed in the permit) during the pre-commissioning and commissioning phases of the plant. Approval by ERA and other Regulatory Authorities such as Transport Malta (TM) and the COMAH Competent Authority is required to enable the operator to progress from one phase to the other to ensure that all required obligations covered in the relevant previous phases have been fulfilled.
Delimara 3 Power Generation Ltd., who is responsible for the conversion of the diesel engines to be operated on gas are also to fulfil certain commissioning obligations prior to enabling full operation of the plant.
All public consultation documents are available on the ERA website here
