Government hires project engineer for Tynes Bay work
A project engineer has been hired to consult on refurbishment works at Tynes Bay Waste-to-Energy facility, with work expected to take three to four years to “engineer, tender procure and execute”.
Wayne Furbert, the acting Minister of Public Works, told the House of Assembly yesterday he could not recall the name of the consultant, but that the contract was for $170,000 per year.
Mr Furbert said that plant stabilisation works have already begun with the goal of extending the life of the boilers, which he said were the most vulnerable part of the facility.
He said: “This work has commenced with personnel from Europe already on island.
“This first phase of the work, which focuses on boiler unit No 2 is set to be completed in three months’ time.
“The second phase involving unit No 1 will commence around this same time next year and take a similar amount of time to complete.”
“While this stabilisation work takes place, we are concurrently making progress with the full refurbishment of the plant, which will take some three to four years to engineer, tender, procure and execute.
“To that end we have secured the services of a project engineer to lead the project, thereby making significant progress through the next financial year.”
The boilers broke down several times in October and November last year, which resulted in an estimated $110,000 repair bill.
Breakdowns in other equipment — made worse by problems caused by Covid-19 and supply chain difficulties — meant that trash was taken to Marsh Folly in Pembroke for landfill.
The boilers were repaired last month and were operating at “near-normal” capacity by Christmas.
Mr Furbert said 611 bales of waste were produced before the boiler repairs were completed.
He added: “In the weeks that followed, the boilers were brought back online and bales from the contingency system were returned to the plant for processing.
“Additionally, about half the material that was landfilled was also returned, equating to some 1,668 tons.”
Work to stabilise the plant is expected to cost up to $10 million, but Mr Furbert has warned that a full replacement would cost close to $150 million.
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