Elsie Adamo
NO assurances have been given to Grant District Council that a proposed pellet plant near the Mount Gambier Regional Airport will not impact current or future operations, according to newly released documents from council and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).
The $120m plant, proposed by Altus Renewables Limited, would produce plumes rising above the plant which will be located adjacent to the airport.
Council had previously raised concerns about the potential impact on airport operations from these plumes and approached CASA to confirm that the plans met appropriate regulations.
Correspondence between council and CASA was released to the public last week in the recent council meeting minutes, shedding light on discussions around the proposed pellet plant.
While it is not general practice for working documents and dialogue to be released, approval from CASA was sought to do so due to public interest in the discussion.
The documents show that council asked if the development was assessed against the Federal Government’s National Airports Safeguarding Framework (NASF) guidelines and asked if CASA would undertake plume monitoring.
They also asked for official assurances that there would be no impact on future development plans for the airport.
In response, CASA said it had made comments to Beca, the business in charge of overseeing the project development application, on some of the NASF guidelines, but said some matters are for other planning authorities to undertake.
The correspondence also confirmed that CASA would not have an ongoing role in monitoring plumes, and was unable to provide assurances that there could be no future impact.
A formal meeting between the council and CASA was declined by CASA staff member David Alder, but he offered to briefly discuss related planning issues over the phone if needed.
“As far as the plume is concerned, at the parameters provided…the plume will not be an issue for aviation, regardless of the air traffic mix and volume,” Mr Alder said in his email correspondence.
“To our knowledge, no aircraft accident has ever been confirmed to have been caused by a plume, anywhere.
“It is really only Australia, and the US, that evaluate plumes from an aviation safety perspective.”
Mr Adler said large plumes from liquefied natural gas plants or major turbine power stations with exit velocities of more than 200km per hour could pose a problem, but plans indicate exit velocity from the plant would only be about 22km per hour.
While plumes are not expected to be a problem, Mr Alder said that there were two NASF guidelines that may be relevant to CASA, including risk of wildlife strikes, and windshear and turbulence.
The plant is proposed to be built in industrial zoned land on Hutchinson Road.
The project passed planning approval in November 2021 and is currently being prepared for building consent.
The development has received mixed responses from the community, with some welcoming the investment into the region, but nearby residents are concerned on how it may affect the area.
