About PT-RAPS
PT-RAPS is a residents organisation and charity that was set up to lobby for better air quality in Port Talbot. We oppose a number of new polluting developments being forced on the town (that no one else wants). Over the last few years the bulk of PT-RAPS' efforts have been directed towards opposing the building of the worlds largest biomass power station in the town by developer Prenergy Power.
Port Talbot already suffers high levels of air pollution from the local steelworks. For a number of years Port Talbot has failed EU air quality directives for particulates and also polyaromatic hydrocarbons (a carcinogenic emission caused by burning processes). Particulate matter smaller than 10 microns (PM10) damages the pulmonary system (heart and lungs) and reduces live expectancy. The graph below shows the last ten years of PM10 air quality experienced in Port Talbot. [The EU legal requirement, is the horizontal line shown in red].The town is also subject to high nitrogen dioxide levels, sulphur dioxide a lot of iron ore dust, coal dust,and industrial noise as well as a host of toxic emissions such as lead and cadmium.
Although in the last few years there has been a noticeable improvement in air quality, overall this improvement has to be put into the context, namely there has been an economic downturn and reduced production in the steelworks. The high potential for pollution still exists, as was recently been demonstrated on the 6th February 2011, when monitored PM10 levels for the day were over three times the allowable daily limit. This pollution event was one of the worst incidents since monitoring began back in 1997.The problem with locating further heavy industry in the town is that the location surrounded by steep hills (rising up 300m) that traps in the air pollution.
It is against this backdrop that PT-RAPS feels it is plainly wrong and unjust to build further power stations here. Currently the town has two commercial power stations that supply the Grid Network and three indepedant power stations that supply the steelworks, making five in all. In addition to these there are three more commercial power stations planned (either consented or being considered). If all these are built it would give Port Talbot (a town of just 60,000 people) a total of eight separate power stations with around 2GW total generating capacity.
DECC's response to our criticism (that the town has become a dumping ground for unwanted power stations and pollution) was to say "that it is up to power generating companies where they build new facilities". This argument is somewhat twisted on its head as power generating companies are merely suduced by high generating tariffs set for the area, which surprise, surprise are controlled by DECC (through the National Grid). So in effect DECC is indeed guilty of pollution dumping on Port Talbot.
In 2010 the UK Government applied to the EU commission for a time extension for Port Talbot to achieve air quality objectives for PM10. The UK Government argued in the consultation that it was doing all it could to improve air quality. However it is fairly obvious to everyone that air quality objectives are not being achieved in Port talbot due to the amount of heavy industry in the town at the moment. The addition of more heavy industry (by the DECC) is hardly likely to help the situation, indeed it is irresponsible in our view and questions the validity of declarations made by the Govement in its submission to the EU.
The Welsh Assembly and the Air Quality Expert Group are still investigating the causse of 46 air quality exceedences of PM10 in 2007 and also in previous years. The expert group hopes to release its findings in the spring of 2011.
See Latest News on local campaign
