BlueScope will soon restart its sinter plant, after the Environment Protection Authority issued conditional approval to resume operations after Monday’s fire.
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Representatives of BlueScope, the EPA and NSW Health argued long into the night on Wednesday, negotiating the company’s plan to restart the plant.
BlueScope plans to use an older chimney with fewer emissions controls than the one destroyed in the fire, which had initially raised concerns at the EPA.
‘‘It doesn’t have the tight controls that the one that burnt down does,’’ an EPA spokesman told the Mercury on Tuesday.
Giselle Howard, director (metropolitan) for the EPA, said on Thursday the arrangement would be closely monitored.
“It was a big consideration for us to allow it. We’ve had pressure from BlueScope to get the plant going and we understand the gravity of the issue, but we have worked around the clock,” Ms Howard said. “We’ve been at pains to make sure there is no diminishing of their environmental requirements.”
Ms Howard said BlueScope would now use a slower sintering process and that the older brick stack had undergone upgrades since it was last used.
The EPA and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) will monitor the plant daily over an interim two weeks, conducting “detailed microscopic analysis”.
ANSTO’s website states the organisation has tracked fine particle pollution data for more than 20 years.
“Monitoring is the key thing,” Ms Howard said.
A community meeting will be held within the next week, giving residents a chance to pose questions about the fire and subsequent fibreglass fallout affecting nearby properties.
BlueScope did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Thursday but issued a statement on Thursday morning, ahead of the EPA approving the sinter plant restart.
“It is expected this interim arrangement would be in place for up to 10 weeks until we re-establish the Waste Gas Cleaning Plant,” the statement read.
“We are confident the interim arrangement will not produce emissions that exceed our environmental licence limits.”
BlueScope admitted there might be “increased visual emissions” during the interim period.
Anyone concerned about the fire or fallout can call 1800646488.
