Regulation of power stations
The EPA is working with all power station operators in NSW to strengthen monitoring and reporting requirements and tighten air emission limits.
We have a comprehensive and robust framework for regulating power stations in NSW and use a contemporary and innovative range of compliance and enforcement tools. This is complemented by strong penalties and the ability to seek court orders to redress environmental impacts from non-compliance.
In 2024, we introduced requirements for the 4 operating coal-fired power stations to report their greenhouse gas emissions to the EPA. Through a better understanding of their emissions contribution, we can implement more effective policies and measures to mitigate climate change impacts.
We are working to improve transparency for the community and provide greater consistency of environmental regulation across the sector, with all coal fired power stations now continuously monitoring stack emissions.
Strict limits apply
The EPA sets emissions and discharge limits for coal fired power stations that are informed by a range of environmental standards and guidelines. These limits aim to protect human health and the environment.
They include the nationally agreed criteria National Environment Protection Measures (NEPMs), the Australian & New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh & Marine Water Quality, and the EPA’s Approved Methods for Water and Air Pollutants.
Emission and discharge limits also consider a range of operational factors including the design and efficacy of pollution controls and the achievable operating conditions of the stations. Coal fired power stations must also comply with the standards of concentration prescribed by the Protection of the Environment Operations (Clean Air) Regulation.
It is common to see differences between air and water discharge limits between power stations and also across different jurisdictions. Appropriately, limits for each power station differ because they are influenced by factors unique to them. This includes weather, proximity to communities and other pollution sources and the way pollutants behave in the environment.
Limits are implemented and enforced through the Environment Protection Licences.
Power station environment protection licences
Environment protection licences (EPLs) require power stations to meet legally enforceable conditions relating to noise, air, water, land contamination, waste and other operational matters.
The conditions are designed to protect the community and the environment. Power stations are also required to operate and maintain pollution control equipment in a proper and efficient manner and minimise the emission of air pollutants in accordance with strict conditions included on all their licences.
We recently progressed a number of strategic initiatives across the operational coal fired power stations to address air emissions and increase transparency around the generation and re-use of coal ash.
Power station licences are published on our public register.
Operating power station licences
Decomissioned power stations licences
Monitoring requirements
To assess and manage impacts, we require extensive monitoring from power station operators, including continuous stack monitoring, ambient air monitoring in the local community, routine groundwater and surface water monitoring, coal-ash reporting, and coal feedstock testing.
You can access publicly available monitoring data for each coal-fired power station from the EPA’s website.