CALTEX Australia Petroleum Pty Ltd has lodged a development application with Sutherland Shire Council for a permanent soil regeneration facility.
The application is for an area of land on Sir Joseph Banks Drive, Kurnell, within an existing range of sites treating hydrocarbon-contaminated soil from Caltex and third parties throughout NSW.
A Caltex spokesman said the project had been operating on a trial basis under the site's environmental protection licence since October 2013.
So far approximately 5500 tonnes had been treated or was undergoing treatment.
"If approved for permanent operation, the facility is likely to regenerate approximately 50,000 tonnes of soil per annum," he said.
Soil is trucked in and arranged in mounds a few metres high with pipework placed into the piles to allow the soil to be aerated. The piles are then covered with tarps and air is drawn through the pile.
Biodegradation occurs by encouraging the breakdown of contamination in the soil.
Soil is then tested to ensure it meets NSW EPA standards and can then be reused.
The spokesman said there were no risks to the community from the facility and the area was a considerable distance from Kurnell village.
"Caltex has engaged with the Kurnell community prior to the pilot and as part of the development application," he said.
