Alternative firm ‘lacks experience‘
Thursday 16th July 2009, 11:30AM BST.
An example of an Envikraft incinerator. (0806052)
DOUBTS have intensified over the suitability of the Rational Alternative scheme to solve Guernsey’s waste problem.
Campaigners opposing proposals by Public Services for a combined energy-from-waste and mechanical sorting plant are instead backing two micro-incinerators and extensive recycling as the solution.
But it has emerged that the company they have approached, Danish firm Envikraft A/S, has built only two hospital incinerators and a crematorium in the UK.
A list of references it has provided shows its experience elsewhere around the world appears to be extensively in these two areas. For example, in its home country it lists 20 plants at hospitals, 14 at crematoria, but none for municipal waste.
Asked what experience it had in dealing with the type of household waste Guernsey produced, it supplied an example of a 16,000-tonne incinerator in Norway for municipal and industrial waste.
However, Rupert Dorey, who is leading a group of individuals opposing the PSD plans that includes Dr Barrie Mealing, Stephen Black and Professor Nick Day, reaffirmed his belief that Envikraft would be able to deliver what the island needs.
‘It’s important to remember that Envikraft just supply micro-incinerators, they don’t supply any other equipment.
‘Municipal waste is obviously at the larger end of the scale for what they do, but we believe it is appropriate for what is required in Guernsey.
‘Whereas the PSD plan is right at the bottom of the scale for the mass-burn process,’ he said.’
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Doubts about Flouquet’s competence in figureheading such an unpopular waste of cash are already so intense that PSD could try and sell Utopia but still face a protest march.
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The doubts over the Rational Alternative cannot possibly be any bigger than the massive doubts over PDA/Suez, in particular the stupefying amount of (mostly borrowed) cash involved and the lifetime cost of this plant escalating to more than 200 million pounds over 25 years at today’s prices.
Expect more of this drip, drip denigration of the RA in the run up to the vote. And while we’re on the subject of doubts perhaps the GP can explain who has voiced the doubts in this story? The author of the piece is on record as being an enthusiastic supporter of mass burn. Are the doubts his own or would he care to attribute them to someone?
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Don’t forget that PSD employ a full-time PR officer – and he dutifully put up his hand to become part of the “1%” supporting PSD at the meeting on Tuesday. Your taxes are funding all this…. BF will need all his political skills to keep the PSD ship steady over next two weeks since almost half the members he will be asking for support were prepared to strip him of his DCM title a few months ago.
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It does seem really unfair that PSD’s spin doctor is busy discrediting the efforts of volunteers who haven’t had even a fraction of the time or resources that PSD have had and yet still come up with a more sensible suggestion! It smacks of pots and kettles, anyway: there’s far more “doubt” over PSD’s proposal than any alternative. I hope the RA has at least made deputies realise that PSD’s is the least appropriate solution of all that have been mooted in the last week or two. Of course these options will need to be looked into in more detail before we can commit to one, or a combination of them, but the important thing is that the deputies listen to the people they represent and vote against the Suez proposal.
It’s probably a good time to remind readers that we live in a democracy, and that, although it doesn’t always feel like it, our opinions count. I’d stongly urge everyone to write to or email or even phone the deputies (they all vote, so contact all of them if you can) to let them know your views; otherwise we risk sleepwalking into a nightmare. You’ll find deputies’ contact details here:
http://www.gov.gg/ccm/navigation/government/states-members-and-committees/mandates-and-memberships/
The States debate is in a couple of weeks’ time – please, please make your voice heard before then if you care about the outcome of that vote.
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