The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has issued BlueScope Steel Pty Ltd a $30,000 fine after a failure in the coke ovens at its Port Kembla Steelworks allegedly caused significant air emissions.
Coke ovens are heating chambers used to turn coal into coke for the ironmaking process. The incident occurred during a control system software update, which compromised the system.
As a result, a significant amount of coke oven gas was released for a period of up to five minutes across multiple locations.
NSW EPA Director of Operations, Adam Gilligan said BlueScope Steel failed to implement safeguards to ensure the gas emissions were minimised or prevented.
“BlueScope Steel conducted pre-works risk assessments and implemented some control measures but further preparation could have been taken to prevent the incident,” Mr Gilligan said.
“The company failed to identify the operation of critical control valves as a potential issue. Had this occurred, the incident may have been minimised or prevented.
“Coke ovens gases pose potential harm to the environment and must be carefully managed. We expect all licensees to have systems, practices, and procedures in place to ensure they operate in a proper and efficient manner.”
BlueScope Steel immediately self-reported the incident and co-operated with the EPA’s investigation.
The licensee has committed to a review of the event to assess the risk of failure and identify any future improvements across their site.
We encourage the community to report incidents to the NSW EPA Environment Line on 131 555.
