MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) has issued an Environmental Authorisation (EA) and granted authorisation for the proposed fish meal factory in the Mossel Bay harbour.
Also, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) has issued a Provisional Air Emissions Licence (PAEL).
A copy of the decisions, including the reasons, is available on the Cape EAPrac website (www.cape-eaprac.co.za). An appeal process for both the environmental authorisation and the PAEL is now open.
Afro Fishing (AF) envisages an investment of up to R350m for their planned expansion at the harbour, with the planned fish meal and oil reduction facility potentially increasing direct employment from the current 341 to approximately 560 persons. The proposed new plant will have the capacity to process a maximum of approximately 1 000 tons of raw fish per day to produce fish meal and fish oil products for export markets.
The expansion will also increase the AF canned fish production of which a large percentage will go into the National Schools Nutrition Programme, where AF (Pty) Ltd supplies "affordable protein" for the learners.
A public participation process formed part of the application for environmental authorisation, which included a Town Hall Talks session in June 2019 that offered the community the opportunity to engage directly with the experts involved.
Expansion
AF intends to expand its cannery and to include a facility for rendering cooking, drying, dehydrating, digesting, evaporating, or protein concentrating of animal matter not intended for human consumption on the site commonly referred to as the old I&J factory.
Best available technology
Technology not yet in use in the fishing industry anywhere in South Africa, but employed in first world countries, is proposed for the AF fish meal processing plant. The expansion project will include a fish meal and oil reduction plant; fish freezing plant; cold store; a fish meal warehouse; and a new canned product warehouse.
AF plans to make use of regenerative thermal oxidiser (RTO) technology as the RTO prevents air quality problems associated with organic compounds, typically destroying odours at fish meal plants. The RTO operates by burning the ducted air at temperatures of up 850C and represents the Best Available Technology (BAT) currently available in the world for odour management.
AF would use predominantly fresh fish for their fish meal processing plant to further limit the possibility of odours.
Checks and balances
The PAEL is valid for six months from the date of commissioning - when the boiler and RTO are put into operation. If AF is in full compliance with its first PAEL, a second and final PAEL will be issued for one year. The final PAEL is only applicable if the Licence Holder can prove full compliance with its second PAEL, for at least six months, as contemplated in the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.
The PAEL also determines that under no circumstances may the ambient air quality limits for any applicable pollutant be exceeded. No foul product may be received, and strict record-keeping of raw materials will be monitored.
All raw material must be kept chilled and processed within 24 hours from offloading. A zero-tolerance odour policy will be implemented from the onset. Emission limits for odorous compounds may not exceed its odour threshold limits. Notwithstanding the discharge water complying with the current and future NEM: ICMA Coastal Waters Discharge Permit, it must also comply with air quality requirements in terms of offensive odours. Also, AF must comply with the National Dust Control Regulations for Industrial zones as indicated in the regulation.
Related article: Road ahead for Afro Fishing
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