Full cost of waste plant yet to emerge
Friday 29th May 2009, 11:30AM BST.
Lance Vaudin studies the information on a display put on by Public Services outside the meeting. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0781099)
THERE are hidden costs to the new waste plant which have not yet been published, it was revealed last night.
More than 70 people attended a meeting at St Sampson’s High School to discuss the project.
Project managers from preferred contractor Suez Environnement and the Public Services Department were on hand to answer the three hours of questions from the audience.
One of the main issues raised was cost.
So far it has been revealed that the plant, which will include an energy-from-waste facility, material recovery area and ash treatment, will cost about £101m. to build.
However, that figure does not take into account running costs and other expenditure.
Minister Bernard Flouquet defended his department in not giving all the details.
‘The reason for not giving the full costs is because the full report will not come out until 26 June. We will then hold a further public meeting. There is still a lot more information to come.’
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Why on earth call a public meeting when you are not prepared to provide the real costs?
Or is it a gradual softening up process?
Whatever the reason it is treating the taxpayer / user with contempt.
This is a seriously expensive project that will be paid for for decades. Don’t forget in 25 years the exercise will be repeated.
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It was estimated that the gate costs would be around £4 million per year. Over 25 years that’s £100 million.
No joking matter Bernard. Time to go.
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I don’t believe what I’m reading here.
Apart from the obvious point of not taking into consideration the running costs. What is the mysterious ‘other expenditure’ that has just appeared?
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Stephen John:
You have it quite correct:
Flouquet has been caught out again, and is striving to vindicate the utterly stupid plan.
He never gives the true facts; if he had any honour at all he would resign now: or will we wait for his next abortive attempt at being a politician.
If he had the same sense of fair play as his father had, it would be great; I knew his father, right from those war years.
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This 25 Year (inflexible) multi-million pound (£175M!!!) waste plant is worse for Guernsey than Bernards recent racist outburst.
Guernsey deserves better than to be lumbered with a huge waste plant it does not need purely to sooth PSD egos.
Whilst I know very little about waste management I recently attended a lecture from a member of GCAN (www.g-can.net)a Guernsey based climate action group. I was impressed by the their solution to the problem which would see Guernsey increase its recycling levels (something that is needed) cost less (would be £35M rather than £175M over 25 years) and there would be flexible options rather than a fixed solution which may or may not be suitable. A rather attractive selling point for the GCAN proposal was also that the plan would reduce the need for Guernsey to borrow money to fulfill the Capital Expenditure programme. Matt Fallaize and Charles Parkinson take note!!!
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Jaguar.
You are entirely correct with everything you say there. Unfortunately our some of our current crop of professional politicians are both falling in love with debt and the ego boost that having your name all over projects like this brings.
It’s a dangerous combination and historically has been the downfall of economies far larger than ours.
Most governments use debt like a teenager uses a credit card, recklessly.
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Yet more waste chaos………….
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Well all the shouting mumbling or whatever you wish to call it; will not help one iota, until the people realise that it is they who made a big mistake by voting for these rascals who call themselves politicians.
It is the people who brought this upon themselves
If you look back into history, you will find that Elisabeth the 1st. had complaints about the ruling bodies then: she took action and dismissed the lot.
So if we are a dependency, an appeal to the ruling Monarch should make some inroads into the scandalous way things are done in her name:
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Jaguar Paws Snr
I fear your figure of £175 million might be a tad on the low side.
Last week at different times we were told the build cost would be £101 million.
Then we were told the gate charges would be about £4 million a year.
Total over 25 years £201 million.
Any ones guess as to what the final cost will be.
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Jaguar Paws Snr
I fear your figure of £175 million might be a tad on the low side.
Last week at different times we were told the build cost would be £101 million.
Then we were told the gate charges would be about £4 million a year.
Total over 25 years £201 million.
Any one’s guess as to what the final cost will be.
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This is bordering on the insane.
What I find hard to understand is the myopia of Flouquet and co.
There simply must be a better and cheaper alternative. On a previous thread I suggested that Ronez is given a generous “sweetner” to move out of Les Vardes and relocate elsewhere – at least that would buy some time to look at this logically.
Whan a skip costs 25 grand expect the island to be one big fly tip.
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the solutions suggested by gcan and the defunct waste panel seem to make more sense than a mass burn incinerator, which thuis is however it is dressed up.i agree with the previous posts thast this is a flawed idea produced by a flawed politician who wants his legacy to be left in a shiny building.this individual was awful as environment minister, i heard him ‘talk’ at the showing of inconvenient truth, he spouted all the words about how serious the threat of climate change is and proceeded to do nothing about it for the island.no hard decisions or even ideas to reduce waste , remove people from cars, nothing.and now he spearheads the building of this.he should have been catapulted off the island after his rascist comments.
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I do hope that this idea is thrown out before any more time is spent on it.
It is wrong for the environment, wrong for Guernsey, and all I see it doing is lining pockets both emotionally (egos!) and literally.
People have got to grab the problem by the horns and face facts that recyling is the responsible way to go.
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Millions of £££’s being talked about here and no mention of the real problem.
Everyone, just re-educate yourselves and consume less. It really can be that simple!
(My consultant’s fee is £100,000 for that gem thank you very much)
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