New Zealand’s Aluminium Smelter has announced it is storing thousands more tonnes of potentially hazardous waste material than it previously advised. The reported volume of spent cell lining, or SCL, stored at the Tiwai Point site has risen to 217,000 tonnes, up from the previously reported 181,000 tonnes. "NZAS has committed to removing all SCL, and financial provisions have been increased accordingly to ensure the responsible management of all material stored on site." "NZAS continues to conduct regular and extensive environmental monitoring of the site, recently releasing assessments of the groundwater surrounding the SCL storage facilities." Its closure study included assessments of the groundwater surrounding the landfill site as well as the SCL waste storage facilities, and noted one of the SCL pad bores had recently collapsed due to coastal erosion.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 30, 2021 16:30 UTC