The Environment Protection Authority has been asked to investigate whether Delta Electricity breached its operating licence by allowing fine particle pollution from its Vales Point power station at Lake Macquarie to almost triple in one year.
Delta reported a significant increase in emissions from Vales Point for 2018-19, including a 121 per cent increase in coarse particle emissions (PM10) and a 181 per cent increase in fine particle emissions (PM2.5).
"This skyrocketing rate of toxic pollution shows that Vales Point coal power station has failed to maintain its pollution filters and has put the health of residents of the Central Coast, and in fact the entire Sydney greater metropolitan, area at unnecessary risk," Nature Conservation Council chief executive Chris Gambian said.
A Delta spokesman said the plant had remained within its normal operating range and compliance limits despite the pollution spike.
He said the increased pollution was the result of old air filter bags, which had been replaced.
"The tests were conducted in March and April of 2019. During this time the diminished performance of a number of filter bags was identified with scheduled bag replacement subsequently occurred," he said.
National Pollution Inventory data for 2018-19 shows Vales Point, Eraring, Liddell, Bayswater and Mount Piper power stations emitted: 176,000 tonnes of sulphur dioxide, 120,000 tonnes of nitrogen oxides and 775 tonnes of fine particles.
