Filenews 6 March 2023 - by Angelos Nicolaou
One year after the fire that broke out in alternative fuels in the storage areas of the Vassiliko Cement Works, the Environmental Authority turned on the green light with a reasoned finding for the creation of a project in the community of Tochni, in order to store alternative fuels and raw materials, which will then be transported to the cement factory for use. The plot belongs to an industrial zone and is fenced.
In the plot located within the Vasilikos Energy Centre there is an existing industrial shed and the outdoor area is fenced, while for the purposes of the project the space will be configured within the existing piece, without the need to excavate or move soil. Alternative RDF/SRF fuels and sludges from the cleaning of gases by the steel industry (AFO). RDF/SRF comes from England and Italy and is classified as a non-hazardous material.
AFO Blast Furnace Sludge is proposed to be stored on the south side of the piece. It is characterized as non-hazardous waste and results from the absorption of air during the transmission of the mixture of ore, fuel (charcoal, etc.) and limestone supplied for the purification of the ore, to the blast furnace. It is transported by cargo ships of 8,000 tons and then by vehicles of 30 tons to the site of the proposed facility. They will then be transported according to the needs of the production to the cement factory.
The Community Council of Tochni, after pointing out that the area is already burdened with the various developments taking place in the Energy Centre, requested that the terms of the reasoned finding be applied. Furthermore, he asked for compensatory measures to be given to the K.S. Tochnis by the Vassiliko Cement Works.
For its part, the Community Council of Zygi said that the area is already quite burdened by existing facilities and will be even more burdened with other polluting installations that are planned to be installed in the same area.
