It is estimated that 650 children on the Central Coast and Lake Macquarie suffer asthma due to the pollution that comes from coal-fired power stations like Vales Point.

Research by Dr Ben Ewald, epidemiologist and lecturer at the School of Medicine and Public Health, Newcastle University, found that nitrogen dioxide emissions from power stations contributed significantly to children suffering this preventable disease.

Vales Point coal-fired power station is not just filthy, it is the most urban power station in NSW, sitting right in the middle of Central Coast suburbs.

In December 2021, the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) granted then-owner Delta Electricity a 5-year exemption that would allow the station to continue polluting above the limits in NSW Clean Air laws.

At the time, the EPA ran a community consultation process before it made its decision on the Vales Point exemption application. It said that "The EPA has heard the concerns of the community and, based on our assessment and air quality modelling, we have tightened NOx limits from the original application, to significantly reduce the emissions from Vales Point". However, the EPA decision has caused bitter disappointment for the Central Coast community, who had hoped participation in public consultation would result in real change.

The Nature Conservation Council campaigned with the local community for the EPA to reject the application and require the company to install filters to cut its pollution and reduce the impact on local children. The 5-year exemption was cut to 2 years with the exemption limit now ending in October 2024. We continue to campaign against a further extension. 

At the end of 2023, lawyers from Environmental Justice Australia, on behalf of NCC, lodged an application with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) seeking two key reports on Nitrogen Oxides and Sulphur Dioxide emissions from Vales Point. EPA refuses to release reports on toxic pollution from Vales Point Power Station (14 December 2023).