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

The ESG asks Government to inform the public about the outcome of the tests it recently ran on 2 of its buses using HVO fuel (hydrogenated vegetable oil). 

With the knowledge that this fuel will help reduce air pollution on our roads it’s hoped the rollout to all government and commercial vehicles will happen as soon as possible.The group hopes details of the testing can be shared as it’s clearly a matter of great public interest.
Additionally calls upon Calypso to confirm whether all 5 of its newer, low emission buses are now operational. Given the significant impact this can also have in our airspace it would be positive to have this also confirmed.

The ESG is pleased to read in the Gibraltar Chronicle about the electric bus currently being trialled. The article identifies as being 1 of 2 being trialled and the ESG is excited at the thought of this important step coming from the Ministry of Transport. We will be requesting more information from the Ministry as to whether the other bus being trialled is from the same supplier, and also, bearing in mind that these units are electric, if they are looking at particular routes. The photograph in the article shows quite a compact vehicle , so ideal for our Upper Town route. 

The ESG hopes the trials have a successful conclusion leading to the introduction of electric buses by the Gibraltar Bus Company and, as with the HVO trials, that information on all results are made public.

The ESG asks Government to inform the public about the outcome of the tests it recently ran on 2 of its buses using HVO fuel (hydrogenated vegetable oil). 

With the knowledge that this fuel will help reduce air pollution on our roads it’s hoped the rollout to all government and commercial vehicles will happen as soon as possible. The group hopes details of the testing can be shared as it’s clearly a matter of great public interest.

The ESG additionally calls upon Calypso to confirm whether all 5 of its newer, low emission buses are now operational. Given the significant impact this can also have in our airspace it would be positive to have this also confirmed.

The ESG shares the community’s concerns regarding the sudden and totally unexpected pollution tax on 10yr old cars (regardless of emissions and type) announced by the Chief Minister yesterday. A lot has been said, the measure was reversed, but the situation understandably remains uncertain.

As with the Linewall Road closure, the ESG, campaigning for a healthier environment, at the time did not totally reject the idea behind the sudden decision of road closure to cars, but felt it needed far greater planning and delivered on a cross party basis. 

Any measure to clean up our environment specifically from transport has been high on our agenda for years. This goes for road and marine transport. Our legally binding Climate Change Strategy contains targets for this purpose. We believe the community needs to get behind the changes we need to make (once fully discussed and analysed, ideally via a public parliamentary select committee with input from experts and interested parties) to achieve a healthier environment. Decisions should, in our view, be made here and not announced via an annual budget.

The strategy is a living document and should be updated to reflect impacts as understood from ongoing data gathering and changes going forward. Our major turnover on fossil fuel sales results in a very large carbon footprint but also leads to raised levels of pollution locally, calling for the divestment of oil as an income stream in the longer term.

The ESG have over the years pushed for urgent action to be taken on ageing vehicle fleets, especially in the commercial and industrial sectors where impacts are greatest. Our second hand bus fleet has been a major concern for us as we continue to lobby for these to be replaced. We have pushed for best practice to be applied, through incentives, penalties and the setting up of appropriate economic support. These, surely should be priority for action.

We want to see roadside pollution disappear. We want to see marine vessels clean up their activity. This will involve focus and analysis and we believe looking at emissions and fuel use would be a better place to start in cutting back on poisons in our environment.

However, some law changes are also imperative, for example, we have a law on emissions today which permits vehicles to pollute to their year of manufacture. This is totally at odds with the effort to clean up our environment and certainly conflicts with a tax payable allowing such cars to be driven. This must change! Emissions should be regulated on safety levels alone which probably means resourcing the MOT centre to roll out a more stringent and reliable role. 

However, while we have and wish to continue to have, an open border policy we have no means to control the entry of illegally polluting motorised vehicles. This means that as we work to push up stds on our performances, we remain  vulnerable to imported pollution too. This needs to be examined at a European level.

The possibility of a larger and more active airport means rising air pollution from there too,  another transport impact.

Finally, and unfortunately as is often the case in our homeland, we face the prospect of yet another Treaty where questions loom also for our environment and how this could be further threatened or actively improved in the outcome, but we don’t yet know and this creates concerns and anxiety.

The ESG hopes we will forge a way through and see community support in measures taken to improve our health and our precious environment, while reducing our impacts on the wider Climate, but there will be many challenges ahead.

Ends..//

“The ESG has publicly campaigned and directly lobbied for the urgent update of the current Development Plan, which the group believes has not been fit for purpose for some years now. We welcome this important step.

There are many issues which affect planning not least geopolitics, economics, and the wider environment including sustainability and climate change. The last few decades have witnessed major and multiple, transformational development in Gibraltar which has highlighted the need to rapidly review, control and plan holistically, inclusively, while also respecting existing developments and residential areas. This does not happen sufficiently today.

“In our view the next development plan can therefore not come forward too soon and we hope every effort will be made to keep the drafting and consultation period as  efficient as possible”, says a spokesperson.

“While a  lot of Gibraltar’s spaces have already been filled with more also earmarked for development, this should not stop us, as a community, from demanding a planning system we feel better represents the Gibraltar we want to see and live in. This means greater controls in developed zones to protect people’s quality of life and see new developments enhance rather than obliterate or significantly reduce their standard of living. It also means we should already have in place environmental legislation to ensure that all new build follows highest practices to include greatest ability to be sustainable..in practice, as well as during the construction period.

The ESG believes it’s essential also to protect Gibraltar’s natural beauty and vistas which sets us apart from other nations and attracts visitors. This important element in planning should also be included in the new plan as well as safeguarding our green spaces.

The ESG hopes that a new development plan will also include the many sensible and forward looking recommendations made by a number of key contributors at the Aspire Conference held in Gibraltar recently on quality community development. These would guide architects and developers from the start of any project and take responsibility for the Gibraltar we want to live in rather than place that instead onto the ‘greener developer’. 
We hope the consultation period  will enable meaningful public feedback because we understand that our population will grow, and we all want to house our families here and this means a short, medium to longterm plan is essential.