The height of any industrial exhaust stack is determined by a number of factors. This includes the type of emissions, temperature, composition and speed of the flue gas leaving the stack, the prevailing winds, the profile of the surrounding area, etc. The first task in calculating the height is to minimise any impact of the plant on the environment in terms of air quality or noise.
The optimum height of the stack was determined to be 95 meteres, following the strict criteria of the Waste Incineration Directive. The ground level of the site is 9 metres above sea level and local high ground levels are between 60 metres and 80 metres above sea level. The top of the stack is therefore be higher than the surrounding areas.