Tripartite Forum Should Review Refinery Hazards, Say ESG & PDP

Apart from its health threat to residents in Gibraltar and  parts of the Campo - which were highlighted recently by the local Euro MP in submissions to the European Commission, backed by a massive petition signed by people on both sides of the frontier - the CEPSA oil refinery's other potential dangers were brought into the glare of public awareness last Friday evening when fires flared and a series of explosions were heard.

The fire followed a similar incident a month ago at a nearby industrial plant, but though in both instances Spanish authorities brought their emergency response plan into action and the fires were swiftly contained, Friday's blaze "again highlights the threats to public health and to citizens of Gibraltar as well as the neighbouring region, of these heavy industrial activities," the PDP points out in a statement issued this week.

"The risks to health from pollution or an industrial accident are significant given the size of the plant and the nature of its activities," the PDP adds..

At the same time, the Environmental Safety Group reports that on Friday evening it received "numerous calls from concerned individuals as well as Plataforma colleagues from Spain". And the group urges the Government to "raise matters of Bay pollution and emergency planning at the tripartite forum so that there is proper awareness on the Gibraltar side of the environmental impact of these activities and the dangers to the population.

"At the very least, the risks of an incident impacting on Gibraltar needs to be considered and planned for by our authorities, " the PDP says. "Beyond that it makes sense that there should be an agreement on intergovernmental cooperation on emergency action and risk management so that greater resources can be called upon, if necessary, and so that authorities on both sides have a useful flow of information to be able to react locally.

The Denny Larson report had shown the CEPSA refinery at Puente Mayorga to be responsible for high emissions of toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide and benzene, and  further threats to Gibraltar's health and quality of life "must be minimised to prevent any such incidents developing into a fully blown disaster," the PDP added.  "Government must therefore take advantage of the tripartite forums to pressure Spain to take steps that would ensure that such accidents never take place again."

The Gibraltar Government should also investigate any potential threats from the transport of liquid natural gas (LNG) in and around Gibraltar waters. "Equally the antiquated and inconspicuous Gibraltar PUBSAFE document, which sets out a contingency plan for nuclear incidents should also be updated. Given that Government has now got much wider powers in respect of emergency planning under the Civil Contingencies Act it should make clear what its plans in this respect are."

The ESG suggests that problems with power supply may have caused accident which is currently under investigation.

"Flaring continued for one and a half hours during which residents spilled out into the streets, alarm systems rang and a helicopter monitored the scene from the air," the Group says.  "While the fire was contained, the immediate impacts of such an accident on people and the environment cannot be underestimated. People are right to be scared about such incidences at petrochemical plants which, if not contained, could develop into a major threat to the health and safety of both workers and residents of the area.

Public and political pressure continues to build. This latest incident has occurred in a period which has seen: a recent accident at a sister plant INTERQUISA resulting in hospitalisation of workers; strikes planned at CEPSA by its workforce concerned about low manning levels; a damming technical report by Denny Larson published on the levels of pollution from the refinery (commissioned by Neil Parish); same MEP reiterate his commitment to improving standards at the plant and submitted a cross border petition to the Environment Commissioner demanding for rigorous health studies to be done to assess impacts from industrial pollution as well as an inspection by the European Commission an ongoing audit by an independent team of technicians overseeing CEPSA emissions due to inordinate number of upsets the enforcement of a major environmental directive IPPC 96/61 seeking to bring polluting industries in line with their modern equivalents

"That Friday's incident was controlled shows that the plant's internal contingency plan appears to be effective. The ESG has also learnt that a member of the Plataforma and resident of Puente Mayorga was contacted by CEPSA after the incident to offer reassurance over the problem. This contact is a first and must be welcomed.

"However, the accident highlights the risk potential of a serious accident happening in a densely populated residential area. Furthermore emergency flaring causes numerous toxins to be released into surrounding neighbourhoods which could adversely affect people's health. It is also clear that a formal cross border contingency plan is required to provide information to Gibraltar residents.

"After this unfortunate incident statements have been issued by both CEPSA and La Junta claiming that at no time was the environment affected and that minimal physical damage was caused as a result of the accident. This cannot be taken at face value. One only has to spend a few minutes looking at the Junta's own monitoring website to see how ‘normal' air quality levels in the area are invariably acceptable at best, though more often signal a poor or very poor level of air quality."

Friday's incident highlights the need for action by authorities on both sides of the border and for the start of "independent, rigorous cross-border epidemiological studies," the ESG concludes.

The PDP also argues the need for the issue of industrial safety and the hazards of the refinery to be raised at the tripartite forum.