Gunns pulp mill approval - EPBC 2007/3385
20 February 2009
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On 20 February 2009 the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts (the Minister) published his statements of reasons for his 5 January 2009 decisions in relation to the Gunns Ltd pulp mill project. These include the Minister's statements of reasons for his decision to approve Modules C1, D, F, G, H, I ,J, K, and O of the Environmental Impact Management Plan (EIMP) for the Gunns Ltd Bell Bay pulp mill, his statement of reasons for his decision not to approve Modules L, M and N until the hydrodynamic modelling has been carried out and the results addressed in the EIMP, his statement of reasons to extend the time for the completion and approval of Modules L, M and N of the EIMP until 3 March 2011, his statement of reasons for his decision to vary the maps at Schedule 1 of the original Gunns approval decision of 4 October 2007, and his statement of reasons to vary a condition and insert a new condition into the original approval decision of 4 October 2007.
- Statement of reason for approval of Module C1 (PDF - 44 KB) | (RTF 417 KB)
- Statement of reason for approval of Module D (PDF - 46 KB) | (RTF 409 KB)
- Statement of reason for approval of Modules F, G, H, K (PDF - 64 KB) | (RTF 476 KB)
- Statement of reason for approval of Modules I-J (PDF - 50 KB) | (RTF 421 KB)
- Statement of reason for approval of Module O (PDF - 54 KB) | (RTF 405 KB)
- Statement of reason for decision to vary maps at Schedule 1 (PDF - 44 KB) | (RTF 367 KB)
- Statement of reason for decision to vary a condition and add a new condition (PDF - 42 KB) | (RTF 355 KB)
- Statement of reasons for decision not to approve Modules L, M and N; and for an extension to the approval deadline for Modules L, M and N of the EIMP (PDF - 39 KB) | (RTF 472 KB)
On 5 January 2009 the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts (the Minister) announced that approval of the final modules of the Environmental Impact Management Plan (EIMP) for the Gunns Ltd Bell Bay pulp mill would not be granted until detailed studies on the potential marine impacts had been completed.
Notification of variation of conditions attached to approval for Gunns pulp mill
The Minister has varied the conditions of approval for the Gunns pulp mill to make it a breach of the conditions if maximum effluent concentration limits in the operation of the mill are exceeded.
The Minister has also agreed to a minor variation to the route of the pipeline servicing the mill.
The Independent Expert Group, set up to independently assess the pulp mill modules, advised that the proposed variation to the route would have no adverse environmental impacts.
On 22 September 2008 the Minister appointed two additional members to the Independent Expert Group (IEG). Professor Olli Dahl, Helsinki University of Technology, and Professor Robert Johnston, Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering, Monash University and Honorary Professional Fellow, Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne. Professors Dahl and Johnston both have pulp mill expertise and will provide advice to the Minister and the Department.
On 8 September the Minister extended the deadline that Gunns Ltd has to complete the EIMP of it's proposed Bell Bay Pulp Mill until 5 January 2009.
- Pulp mill environmental assessment deadline extended - media release - 8 September 2008
The Minister has to date approved 4 modules of the plan to manage the environmental impacts of the Gunns Ltd pulp mill project, with the remaining 12 modules currently undergoing a rigorous process of departmental review prior to assessment by the IEG and consideration by the Minister.
Project background
On 4 October 2007 the Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania's Tamar Valley was approved with 48 stringent environmental conditions.
In summary, the key elements of the conditions are:
- an integrated Environmental Impact Management Plan that will strictly prescribe all actions relating to Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 matters
- an independent panel, drawn from national and international experts, to oversee the design, implementation and monitoring of the pulp mill
- an independent inspector, appointed by the Australian Government, to monitor Gunns compliance
- guarantee of tertiary treatment of effluent, should it become necessary
At the time the approval decision was made, The Chief Scientist of Australia, Dr Jim Peacock AC, advised that the expert panel of scientists that he convened to review the pulp mill assessment was impressed by the technical and engineering advances that have been made in the design and operation of elemental chlorine free pulp mills. The panel accepted that the proposed mill was likely to conform to world's best practice. In relation to effluent being released into the marine environment, the dioxin limit is more than 70 per cent better than world's best practice.
- Minister's decision and approval conditions (PDF - 1063 KB)
- Fact sheet - summary of conditions (PDF - 58 KB)
- Advice of Australia's Chief Scientist (PDF - 352 KB)
- Fact sheet - summary of Chief Scientist's advice (PDF - 67 KB)
- Letter from the Chief Scientist to the Minister (PDF - 181 KB)
- the Department's recommendation report
The Independent Expert Group
Condition 6 of the approval decision requires a group of experts to advise the Minister and the Department as required and assist in the design, implementation and approval of the Environmental Impact Management Plan for the pulp mill. This team of scientific experts is referred to as the ‘Independent Expert Group’.
The role of the IEG is to provide:
- independent scientific and technical input and advice on material submitted by Gunns Limited through the Department regarding the design, implementation and approval of the Environmental Impact Management Plan, extending through pre-construction, construction, pre-commissioning and ongoing monitoring phases
- scientific and technical advice as required to assist with the approval of consultants engaged by Gunns
- provide advice to the Independent Site Supervisor and the Department as to the appropriateness of relevant methodologies and monitoring data
The members of the IEG were announced in a media release on 12 October 2007. On advice of the (then) Chief Scientist, the following experts were appointed:
- Professor Frank Larkins, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne as Chair of the Independent Expert Group
- Dr Graeme Batley, Co-Director, Centre for Environmental Contaminants Research, CSIRO and Chief Scientist in the CSIRO environmental biogeochemistry theme
- Professor Helene Marsh, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at James Cook University
- Dr Mike Herzfeld, Coastal Environmental Modeller, Marine and Atmospheric Research, CSIRO
- Professor Paul Haddad, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Tasmania
Additional appointments to the Independent Expert Group may be made as required and the following experts have been recently appointed:
- Dr David Westcott, Principle Research Scientist, CSIRO's Atherton Laboratory, Queensland
- Professor Olli Dahl, Helsinki University of Technology
- Professor Robert Johnston, Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineering, Monash University and Honorary Professional Fellow, Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne
For further information on the functions of the Independent Expert Group, follow the link below to the Working Protocols.
The Independent site supervisor
An Independent Site Supervisor will also monitor Gunns' compliance with the conditions of approval. The Independent Site Supervisor position is currently held by Adjunct Professor Robert Joy, School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning at RMIT University, former Deputy Chairman of the Victorian Environment Protection Authority.
The Independent Site Supervisor has the full range of powers under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to access all necessary and relevant information to enable him to ensure full and proper compliance with the conditions.
All queries regarding the pulp mill, the Independent Expert Group or the Independent Site Supervisor should be directed to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
EPBC 2007/3385
Media releases
- No mill approval until detailed environmental studies completed, 5 January 2009
- Pulp mill environmental assessment deadline extended, 8 September 2008
- Minister approves module E of the pulp mill project, 23 May 2008
- Minister approves Module C of pulp mill project, 2 April 2008
- Minister approves first two modules of Gunns pulp mill project, 1 February 2008
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