Soapy mist incident not acceptable, says AGL

The Office of Environment and Heritage has issued a formal warning to AGL in relation to the release of soapy mist at its Camden Gas Project in May.

AGL has acknowledged since the incident first happened that the incident was unacceptable to the community.

While the OEH concluded that “there was no significant harm to the surrounding environment from the emission of foamy liquid”, the regulator “reminds AGL that all breaches of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 are taken very seriously”.

“OEH has determined that an appropriate regulatory response to this incident is to issue a formal warning to AGL Upstream Investments. The purpose of this letter is to serve as a warning to your company and its employees that environmental performance and statutory compliance must be continually maintained,” the OEH said.

AGL Group General Manager Upstream Gas Mike Moraza said AGL accepted the finding and deeply regretted the incident.

“As we have said from the outset, this should never have been allowed to happen,” Mr Moraza said.

“AGL takes its commitment to safety and the environment very seriously and this incident was clearly a breach of our own very high standards. While we have always been confident that there was no harm to the environment and we welcome OEH’s similar conclusion, we understand that incidents like these can cause concern in the community.

“We will heed the warning from the OEH and ensure our employees understand the seriousness of the situation. We have now taken steps to ensure the incident should not be repeated.”

For more information on the Camden project, click here.