A new steam turbine generator will end wastage of steam generated at Tynes Bay which could be turned into electricity, Government said yesterday.The $12.9 million generator will be a higher capacity replacement of the existing steam turbine generator and take more than two years to build, according to the Public Works Ministry which tendered the contract in August.“The existing steam turbine/generator was sized to use the steam from one incineration unit only, but since 1998 the amount of refuse received has required both incineration units to be in full time operation,” said a Public Works spokesperson.“The quantity of steam produced is therefore greater than is required for the existing steam turbine, with the excess steam being ‘dumped’ to waste.“A larger sized replacement will use up all the steam from the Tynes Bay Incinerator and produce more electricity, the spokesperson added.The new generator will almost quadruple the amount of electricity to be exported to electric utility Belco.“Based on a 90 percent availability, the existing unit has a net generation capacity of 3.15 megawatts (3.5mw gross) of electricity of which 1.6MW is exported to Belco.“On the same basis, the new unit has a net generation capacity of 6.66 mw (7.4mw gross) of which 4.7mw will be exported to Belco.”Electricity produced at Tynes Bay is also used to power the facility and the adjacent Tynes Bay Reverse Osmosis plant.“The contract for the new turbine generator is to be awarded in November 2012 with a scheduled manufacture, installation and commissioning schedule of 27 months,” the Ministry said.Cabinet approved the award of the contract to Dresser-Rand, a multinational supplier of energy infrastructure equipment, on August 14.The contract is the largest of $19 million worth of contracts listed in the Official Gazette on Wednesday.It is part of a planned refurbishment of the Tynes Bay Waste-to-Energy Facility which will also see essential crane repairs done at Tynes Bay to the tune of $210,300.