The ESG has been in touch with Government agencies regarding worrying issues emanating from the North Mole Power Station in the last 10 days.

This was first raised publicly by the group in a Press release when information had not been forthcoming, after receiving several complaints from the public regarding heavy, yellow plumes at the plant.

Eventual reply from the Environmental Agency was that they were told by the GEA that the urea used to strip over 90% of NOx from emissions, was believed to be of poor quality and new supplies were being sourced.

When stack emission readings, available on the YouTube portal, continued to be very high we persisted with the Agency to check on what was happening.

End of last week we were notified by them that due to works at the LNG terminal, or even possible upgrades, the Power Station had had to run on diesel, for close to 2 weeks. This was unexpected and a great surprise to the ESG after having been given another explanation altogether. The group is aware of the industry’s obligations and permits and has raised these concerns directly with Government on how this was allowed to happen during works and not for start-up only, or emergency, as it is permitted to do.

While we are relieved to be told that gas supply is now restored, and emissions controlled, we believe the public has a right to know what is happening at all our installations and industry where activity and/or works can impact our health and the environment.

 We expect these to be screened transparently and carried out to best practice and await further clarity from Government.

The ESG has received several reports of continuous yellow fumes emanate from the LNG Power Station. The group immediately contacted environmental authorities with the first, recent report, filed last Thursday. Since then more reports have come in of continued fumes and no explanation has been given. Nitrogen Dioxide emissions responsible for the sight of yellow plumes at the LNG plant in the past are usually controlled via SCR treatment ¹. Prolonged periods of such plumes suggests abnormal operational activity. This pollutant is tightly controlled because of its impacts on public health.

The group appreciates that blips in the system as complex and technical as this installation happen but sincerely hopes the current situation will be rectified and explanations supplied to the public forthwith.

Yellow fumes explained:-

1. Extract from Safety Power, Inc-Canada

Yellow plumes can sometimes be observed at the exhaust of diesel and natural gas generators during certain operating conditions (see Figure 1). This is a visible representation of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) present in the exhaust gasses from an engine. Utilizing Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technology such as the ecoCUBE®, NO2 is reduced to colourless and harmless nitrogen gas and steam, and then released into the atmosphere. When an SCR system is operational, there should be no visible yellow plume as a large majority (> 90% typically) of the NOx present in the exhaust stream is destroyed.

It is with great relief to learn that the deafening blasts from ships horns offshore in the early hours of Tuesday morning, did not result in injury or pollution of the marine environment. The ESG tracked the situation from when a minor collision was confirmed but very few details emerged of the incident until late afternoon.

The group understands that more information will be released on how this happened given our state-of-the-art vessel tracking technology in place.

The incident must serve as an urgent reminder to the Port to respond to recommendations made, in the OS 35 Report published only last month, addressing procedures governing ship movements in and out of our waters. These must be revised to reduce the risk of further collisions from happening. 

These recommendations are not only necessary but best practice and should, in our view, be implemented without further delay.

These are:

The Gibraltar Port VTS is recommended to formalise the procedure for advising departing vessels, with no pilot embarked, of the recommended route for departing the Western Anchorage.

And that:

Gibraltar Pilots are recommended to:

-Provide masters, on arrival and on their website, with the information required of the option to take a pilot from anchorage to sea.

-Formalise the information provided to masters for departing the Western Anchorage  on arrival

Lastly, that the Gibraltar Port Authority is recommended to consider introducing compulsory pilotage for vessels departing the western Anchorage.

Ends.

ESG to follow up matter further.

18.03.2025

Every year in Gibraltar, and around the world, hundreds of thousands of tons of waste are disposed of via landfill and incineration, representing a lost opportunity to recover and reuse materials. Recycling is a key part of the circular economy, helping to protect and preserve natural resources whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

A statement from the Government follows below:

Recycling rates in Gibraltar remain low, at about 12% overall, despite the fact that the target is for 55% of all waste to be recycled by the end of this year. 

March 18th marks World Recycling Day. Created in 2018 it is a day to recognize and celebrate the importance that recycling plays in preserving precious resources and securing the future of our planet. In collaboration with OTWO,the ESG,the Environmental Agency, Recycle.gi and Britannia, the Department of the Environment and Climate Change is launching a public survey to try and understand a little more about why people do and do not recycle and to ask for feedback on how the current service can be improved. 

The survey can be found online at https://form.jotform.com/250723851431351. The initiative will also involve collecting responses during public awareness events. 

As the climate emergency continues to unfold, efforts need to be stepped up across all sectors and itis hoped that working collaboratively with the community,we can make significant changes to the way we produce and manage our waste. 

The public is reminded that separated organic material, paper & cardboard, plastics and cans, glass, waste electrical and electronic equipment, waste oils and textiles can all now be recycled in Gibraltar. Details of where bins are located and what can be put in each coloured bin can be found online at https://thinkinggreen.gov.gi/waste/recycling