Industrial giant's Welsh border factory breached emission limits
A giant factory in Chirk has been served with a suspension notice after reported breaches of an environmental permit.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said it has served notice on Kronospan, a global wood-based panels manufacturer with a large factory on the outskirts of Chirk that employs more than 650 people.
The organisation said the action, which prevents the Chirk factory from using one of its boilers, came after emission monitoring indicated limits had not been met.
An NRW spokesperson said: "Kronospan is required to monitor emissions from the site and provide that data to us.
"We review this information to ensure they comply with the environmentally protective emission limits specified in their environmental permit.
"Recent monitoring returns have indicated that these limits have not been met.
"As a result, we have suspended the permitted activity responsible for these emissions. This suspension will remain in place until we are satisfied that Kronospan can operate in full compliance with its permit.
"We have begun a full investigation into the cause of these exceedances."
According to NRW, the boiler in question is used to burn clean waste wood for heat used in the production process.
David Powell, NRW operations manager said: "This is not a course of action that we take lightly but is necessary until we are satisfied that Kronospan can meet the environmentally protective limits set within their permit."
According to NRW, it "regularly" receives reports from the local community about "noise, dust and odour emissions" from the Kronospan factory and is working with the company to ensure improvements are made.
A spokesperson for Kronospan said: "Kronospan confirms to comply with a suspension notice issued by National Resources Wales (NRW) relating to a boiler at our Chirk plant.
"Kronospan is fully cooperating with NRW’s ongoing investigation, and there will be no further comment whilst the investigation is in progress."
