2023-09-06
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has commenced a prosecution against Sunset Power International Pty Ltd trading as Delta Electricity (Delta) in the Land and Environment Court in relation to a fish kill occurring near the Vales Point Power Station at Lake Macquarie in September 2022.
Quotes attributable to Abigail Boyd, Greens NSW MP and spokesperson for Energy and Hunter, Newcastle and Central Coast:
“This is a hugely significant announcement for the people of the Central Coast - seemingly confirming the suspicions of most of us that the owners of Vales Point power station have been acting without social conscience for years. The EPA is alleging that the fish kill could have been avoided if Delta had adequate equipment and processes in place.
“The decision to proceed to prosecution has come about thanks to immense community pressure that demanded a forensic investigation, in the face of an initially blasé regulator.
“This fish kill was allowed to happen as a result of a business-friendly regulatory approach - the same approach that has seen toxic coal ash leach into our groundwater and poison our waterways; the same approach that has seen toxic emissions belching for decades from unfiltered stacks at levels far exceeding international standards.
“Delta electricity recently announced their intention to keep Vales Point open for a further 4 years, to 2033. The allegations contained in the EPA announcement prove that this is untenable, and that in the sequencing of coal closures that Vales Point would ideally be the first to go.
“These aging coal power plants will continue to present an unacceptable risk to the health of local communities. It’s time we empowered the people of the Central Coast to help steer this transition out of coal and into a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable post-coal future.
“The NSW Government must intervene and set a clear schedule for coal closures - otherwise we will find ourselves vulnerable time and again to the dodgy practices of businesses seeking to plumb government coffers on their way out the door,” Abigail Boyd said.
Media Contact: Angus Hoy 0416 130 969