EPA Victoria has issued Energy Australia Yallourn Pty Ltd (EA) with an emergency discharge approval following flooding of the Yallourn mine due to rain in the area over the past week.
This flooding is similar to last year when the Morwell River embankment collapsed and caused the Morwell River to flow into the mine.
This new inundation of the mine has slowed coal transportation and reduced generation at the power plant.
EA is issued with this emergency discharge approval, their third since last year, to alleviate this flooding through the discharge of the excess water to the Latrobe River.
EPA’s approval requires the company to monitor the waterways three times a week and report these results to EPA for further assessment.
EA has engaged an independent laboratory to take and analyse the samples.
A biological risk assessment during the course of the two previous discharge approvals showed the discharge would not cause long term impacts to the Latrobe River catchment, while ensuring the continuous operation of the power plant.
The approval requires the company to review and update the biological risk assessment.
The discharge approval is needed for EA’s continuing operation of the coal mine and power station.
EA is required to stop the discharges if they fail to comply with any conditions of the approval, which ceases after 120 days.