The Meeting of the Environmental Impact Prevention, Mitigation, and Monitoring Plan Supervision Committee for the BLCP Power Company Limited Coal Terminal Project No. 69-4/2018 was held on December 20, 2018, at the Map Ta Phut Industrial Port Office, Rayong Province, with Ms. Nalinee Kanjanama as acting Chairperson of the Committee. The meeting acknowledged the minutes of the previous meeting and public relations activities for the safety campaign of the Map Ta Phut Industrial Port Office were announced.
The results of environmental quality monitoring during the operational phase of the BLCP Power Plant and Coal Terminal in October 2018 found that the amount of air pollutants discharged from the stacks of both power plant units, ambient air quality, general noise levels, wastewater quality from the wastewater treatment system, and water quality discharged from the cooling water discharge canal all indices met the specified standards. The maximum seawater temperature measured was 31.5°C at ST-10, which still complies with the seawater quality standard stipulating an increase of no more than 2°C.
Regarding seawater quality monitoring in Map Ta Phut Bay, it was found that all indices met the standards, except for the transparency value in the Map Ta Phut Port navigation channel, which did not meet the standard in October 2018 due to overcast skies and moderate waves. The results of marine ecology surveys and phytoplankton and zooplankton quantities indicated suitable water quality for marine life.
The project reported on the management of unused coal conveyor belts, which have been tested and confirmed not to be hazardous waste, and the management of ballast water from berthing vessels complies with MAPOL regulations. Additionally, the third maintenance dredging project for the coal terminal navigation channel is scheduled to be carried out between June and July 2019, with an estimated sediment volume of 640,000 cubic meters. Public relations and coordination with relevant agencies and communities will be conducted.
Summary of the BLCP Power Plant and Coal Terminal operations from September to November 2018 showed a total coal handling of 1,013,463 tons, with an average sulfur content of 0.42%, which complies with EIA requirements (<0.45%), and a total net electricity generation of 1,809,752 MWh. A total of 103,708.67 tons of fly ash and bottom ash were exported, and 457.53 tons of hazardous and non-hazardous waste were managed. All activities complied with the specified environmental impact prevention and mitigation measures.