BlueScope has estimated the costs of Monday night's sinter plant fire will hit $12 million, but the steel manufacturer's woes do not end there.
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The Environment Protection Authority was meeting with BlueScope officials on Wednesday night to assess the company's plans to restart their waste gas cleaning operations, with the EPA still holding serious concerns.
"The EPA will not allow the start-up of the sinter site until we are satisfied that there are processes and adequate monitoring in place to protect the community," an EPA spokesman said.
"The EPA's priority … is to ensure that we understand any likely impacts from the start-up proposal on the community or the local environment."
BlueScope issued a statement on Wednesday saying "the financial impact of the company's restart plan is estimated to be … $10 million to $12 million."
The EPA continues to await results on the nature of black fallout material that landed in nearby properties, as well as independent testing on air quality after the fire.
Warrawong man Joe Aquilina said six large pieces of blackened fibreglass landed in his yard after the fibreglass tower collapsed.
"I looked up the street, and could see bits and pieces all over the road," he said.
"They feel like really fine cellophane, or thin shavings of Styrofoam."
The EPA and NSW Health on Tuesday issued warnings for residents not to touch or move the fragments, but Mr Aquilina said he had collected the pieces in his yard on Monday so his dog did not eat them.
BlueScope have since set up a hotline for residents to report fallout from the fire.
"We've contacted many people and organisations in the immediate community to check that they don't have concerns, and we have mobilised a clean-up team ...," BlueScope said.
Teams were to collect fibreglass chunks in the area "from the Illawarra Yacht Club back towards the steelworks".
"They expect to complete checking and cleaning that area [on Thursday]."
BlueScope recommended people call its hotline 1800 646 488 for a clean-up.
Data mix crucial in analysis
The Environment Protection Authority should not be relying on BlueScope-supplied data to assess the company’s plans in the wake of Monday’s fire, a group of Port Kembla residents has said.
The long-standing Port Kembla Pollution Meeting group on Wednesday met an EPA representative to discuss concerns over BlueScope’s plan to restart the sinter plant.
Group spokeswoman Helen Hamilton said residents were concerned about BlueScope’s plan to resurrect the old sinter plant stack, because when the new one was commissioned in 2004, the company boasted of a reduction in emissions of up to 90 per cent – meaning the old stack was not as effective.
Ms Hamilton said the EPA needed to take charge of monitoring the pollution licence conditions.
‘‘We don’t want to see the old system operating at all, if possible, but if it’s not possible, we want the EPA to make sure they comply with the licence,’’ she said.
‘‘We don’t feel self-reporting is sufficient.
‘‘I think there should be independent monitoring done and it should be more closely scrutinised, especially if it’s going back to that old system.’’
An EPA spokeswoman said making companies pay for monitoring was an integral part of the ‘‘polluter pays’’ model.
‘‘The EPA receives data obtained by industry and their consultants and uses its own expert analysis of the results, including an assessment of the methods used to collect and analyse samples, to ensure that they adhere to the approved standard methods,’’ she said.
‘‘Any company caught falsifying test results faces heavy penalties.
‘‘Where necessary the EPA will conduct its own sampling and analysis – such as with the fallout from the BlueScope fire that has impacted local residents.’’
- BEN LANGFORD
