The government's energy directorate has contracted a company to determine which compounds at the CLH plant in Portopi are provoking bad smells. CLH, Compañía Logística de Hidrocarburos, has storage tanks in Portopi, and residents in the area have been complaining about smells for years.
Residents have also denounced the situation. In 2017, there was a complaint in respect of the discharge of fuel. The health protection department requested details regarding product safety at the plant.
The product itself is classified as dangerous and harmful if inhaled. It can, for instance, provoke irritation of the respiratory system and ultimately "alterations to the central nervous system".
The energy director-general, Ferran Rosa, is now in charge of overseeing any atmospheric contamination that comes from the tanks. A mechanism is to be installed which controls specific particles and reduces the smells. This is due to come into operation at the start of next year.