The Malta Environment and Planning Authority board unanimously approved an application yesterday to instal an incineration unit and adjacent cold store at the public abattoir in Marsa.

This application was re-submitted after a previous one to the Mepa board on 28 April last year was withdrawn by the applicant, Dr Lino Vella, because new information related to the proposal had been received a few days before.

The Mepa board had then agreed to the postponement of the application.

The new submission includes revised drawings for the building to house the incineration unit, a proposal for fuel storage tanks, a reduction in the height of the chimney and a revised location site plan. On 13 January this year, the architect was advised of the pending submissions that were eventually submitted on 16 January and which included drawings showing existing buildings and structures that need to be demolished, details of proposed fuel tanks and the change of architect form.

Mepa’s Environmental Protection Department also organised a site inspection with the Civil Protection Department in order to discuss the risks involved with the storage of diesel on site.

The CPD and EPD agreed that the proposed fuel storage tanks were acceptable and that the Environmental Protection Statement did not need to be updated.

The proposed incinerator will replace an existing unit that is not up to EU standards. The incinerator has a capacity of 12,970 tonnes per annum and is intended to operate on a 24/7 basis.