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Government MUST be Transparent About the Waste to Energy Plant

Where is the transparency? Two letters to the Minister of Environment Denis Lowe and a full page in September have not even garnered a response from the government. Is this government serious about open government? Thus can you post the above article from Dr David Suzuki who the Future Centre Trust is hoping along with…

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Minister of the Environment, Denis Lowe,
Minister of the Environment, Denis Lowe,

Where is the transparency? Two letters to the Minister of Environment Denis Lowe and a full page in September have not even garnered a response from the government. Is this government serious about open government?

Thus can you post the above article from Dr David Suzuki who the Future Centre Trust is hoping along with Nature Conservancy and Greenpeace to  ask for support? Thanks in advance on behalf of the other Environmental NGO’s

Kammie Holder, Advocacy Director, Future Centre Trust

Many urban areas have built or are considering building waste-incineration facilities to generate energy. At first glance, it seems like a win-win. You get rid of “garbage” and acquire a new energy source with fuel that’s almost free. But it’s a problematic solution, and a complicated issue.

Metro Vancouver has a facility in Burnaby and is planning to build another, and Toronto is also looking at the technology, which has been used elsewhere in the region, with a plant in Brampton and another under construction in Clarington. The practice is especially popular in the European Union, where countries including Sweden and Germany now have to import waste to fuel their generators.

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77 responses to “Government MUST be Transparent About the Waste to Energy Plant”

  1. David Avatar
    David

    @Wade Reid

    Based on what we are hearing it means if government is getting forex inflow (350USD) from this deal they must be giving some thing in return. As stated in an earlier comment BU understands the negotiations are at a delicate but late stage and we have to standby for more information.

  2. David Avatar
    David

    Posted to Facebook:

     
    Who will pay for the 900 tons of garbage needed? Plasma torches burn at temperatures approaching 5500ºC (10,000˚F) and can reliably destroy any materials found on earth with the exception of nuclear waste. he economics of MSW plasma gasification are favourable, although complex. Waste gasification facilities get paid for their intake of waste, via tipping fees. The system then earns revenues from the sale of power produced. Electricity is the primary product today, but liquid fuels, hydrogen, and synthetic natural gas are all possibilities for the future.


    Plasma gasification: Clean renewable fuel through vaporization of waste
    http://www.waste-management-world.com
    iPlasma gasification technology in the US is developing fast, and could be the perfect way to divert MSW from landfill and produce valuable by-products. Here, we look into the benefits.i h2by Ed Dodgeh2 Plasma gasification is an emerging technology which

  3. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    “We’ve found projects similar to this being misrepresented all over the country,” said Monica Wilson of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. Wilson said there aren’t enough studies yet to prove the company’s claims that emissions will likely be less than from a standard natural-gas power plant. She also said other companies have tried to produce such results and failed. Currently there are no large-scale PAG plants processing municipal waste in the U.S.–the ones in Tallahassee and St. Lucie County, FL, are the closest to coming online and according to this article they’re still in the permitting phase. I believe there are some very small U.S. operations being used to process medical waste, which the process is ideal for, as it obliterates every possible containment. This is the cost/benefit issue that led Honolulu to reject its plant initially as mentioned in the Wikipedia piece linked above. I’m not impressed with the 46 percent efficiency figure–it needs to improve, and it probably will, because this technology is still in its infancy. I also think the cost/benefit ratio will pull even with and then surpass landfilling once the demand for electricity goes up because of the switch from gasoline to electric transportation. We’ve found projects similar to this being misrepresented all over the country,” said Monica Wilson of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. Wilson said there aren’t enough studies yet to prove the company’s claims that emissions will likely be less than from a standard natural-gas power plant. She also said other companies have tried to produce such results and failed.”

    http://www.no-burn.org/section.php?id=74

  4. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    Renewable Energy Scams On The Rise, Government Warned

    by Jonathan L. Mayuga, Business Mirror
    April 18th, 2011
    ENVIRONMENTAL groups on Monday warned the government against the influx of waste-to-energy schemes masquerading as renewable-energy sources, saying it will undermine the ban on waste incineration, cause toxic pollution and reduce employment in the recycling sector.

    The waste-and-pollution watchdog EcoWaste Coalition (EcoWaste) and the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (Gaia) said incinerator pushers are using the climate issue as an additional platform to peddle their polluting technologies.

    EcoWaste and Gaia are joined by Ang Nars, Bangon Kalikasan Movement, Cavite Green Coalition, Focus on the Global South, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Health Care Without Harm, Krusada sa Kalikasan, Institute for the Development of Educational and Ecological Alternatives, Mother Earth Foundation, Sanib Lakas ng mga Aktibong Lingkod ng Inang Kalikasan and Zero Waste Philippines in opposing waste-to-energy schemes if it includes burning.

    They said government agencies and officials are falling for the ruse at great expense to the health of communities and the environment.

    Waste-to-energy schemes cover a broad range of technologies that directly generate energy from burning waste, including gasification, plasma, pyrolysis and mass burn incinerators, some of which have already been issued clearances and permits to operate.

    “The Philippines does not need incinerators since there are safer and more practical waste management options available that can best serve the goals of the country in mitigating climate change, in protecting the environment, and in generating green jobs and enterprises,” said Roy Alvarez, president of EcoWaste.

    According to the book False Solutions to Climate Change, the incineration industry has rebranded itself and is selling new types of expensive incinerators with fancy names, which often create more greenhouse gases and toxic byproducts than traditional incinerators.

    From a climate standpoint, waste prevention is the most practical carbon emissions-reduction scheme complemented by reusing, recycling and composting, the groups said, while landfilling and incinerating waste are deemed the worse options.

    From the perspective of resource conservation, phasing out residual waste or the waste that remains after reusing, recycling or composting, is the best means to ensure all discards are reusable, recyclable or compostable, the groups stated.

    Waste separation, reusing, recycling and composting, the groups pointed out, generate far more jobs and safer working conditions than landfilling and incinerating waste.

    The groups also scored the use of landfill gas-to-energy projects to justify and perpetuate the practice of mixed-waste landfilling to supposedly curb the production of methane, a greenhouse gas 72 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

    Keeping compostable organics out of landfills helps avoid methane releases far more successfully than burning landfill gas for energy, the groups asserted.

    In lieu of the risky methods, the groups are calling for investments in waste prevention and reduction, source separation, extended producer responsibility, support for the informal recycling sector, and other initiatives that will lead to a progressive reduction of the volume and toxicity of waste sent for disposal.

    The Clean Air Act of 1999 bans the incineration of municipal, biomedical and hazardous waste, which results in toxic and poisonous fumes, while the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 requires the adoption of best environmental practices in ecological waste management and excludes incineration.

  5. ac Avatar
    ac

    bring an alternative to the table instead of downloading sh..t u dont understand……stop acting like a child unable to get his way,

  6. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    @ac, perhaps you have forgotten that Barbados due to its location to the equator has one of the highest solar energy penetration and you need to avail yourself to the research of the late Professor Oliver Headley. If the government is serious about green energy it would legislate mandatory recycling which would not cost them 1 red cent and allow the industry to grow while earning foreign currency.

    You seem deliberately ignorant to the Mobil Oil Contamination at Gravesend which exist and currently locked in litigation with a Canadian company.

    Maybe you can get an explanation from Denis Kellman on how the Flyash from the Arawak Cement Plant and pending class action lawsuit.

    Mr AC, ask why no government was a litigant against Shell JetA1 Spill at Pegwell Boggs and it’s even worst that the current Minister Of Environment is the parliamentary representative for the area, do ask him what he has done to assist Mr Sinckler and the others farmers whose life have being destroyed. Perhaps you are not aware that the land is so contaminated that nothing grows and area is condemned with most recent payout $20M.

    We have no regulation to manage environmental fallout and cannot even deal with vehicle exhaust.

    However, your partisan brain don’t allow you to be objective as to look at alternatives to what your party offers is hurtful for you. I find your attack on persons who oppose or contradict anything the DLP offers is deceitful and selfish.

  7. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    We can start a viable Solar Power Industry to manufacture PV Cells as a smart partnership with either the Germans or the Chinese and also supply the local market. Even water can be a cheap energy source by simply using the hydrogen from water as a gas . Imagine how many 3.5kwh household power plants $800,000,000 can provide if used as a funding vehicle. What about wave energy or offshore wind farms which are truly Green Energy.

    Economic slavery to Light & Power is slowly coming to an end and for the GOB to enter into a Guaranteed Power Purchase with the investors of the $800M Plasma Gasification Plant is suspicious.

    Look at what was done by the last BLP government negotiators with the Desalination Plant and SBRC thanks to Guaranteed Purchase Agreements. Taxpayers paying over $250,000 monthly for brackish water monthly and SBRC had a shortfall in garbage sent to them and taxpayers had to pay just short of a $1M in 2012. Don’t believe me ask Dr Lowe.

    Interesting the principals of SBRC and the Desalination Plant are the same. You would expect under the DLP that things would be different but we would be able to walk on water first. If we think $30M at Greenland was bad as a white elephant think again. $800,000,000 will be a disaster in ever meaning. Expect to have to pay for garbage collection in a roundabout way as we will also be importing garbage to feed the Energy Hog.

  8. David Avatar
    David

    We need transparency.

    We need local media to report.

  9. waiting Avatar
    waiting

    You for real ? | November 21, 2013 at 8:44 AM |
    Holder I may have missed it but for the record please post your educational and University qualifications so that the BU family are better able to put your comments into perspective and reminding us of your educational qualifications in this area of expertise would help significantly.

    Holder is a double graduate from Brumley.

  10. old onion bags Avatar
    old onion bags

    @ waiting
    ARE YOU SERIOUS?……that is the question…so wait one must have academic qualifications to speak on matters of such nowadays….gimme a break…GREEN ENERGY?….Ho Ho

  11. ac Avatar
    ac

    mister K u have thrown a lot of accidents relating to environmental issues , yes there are problems of concern that should be address before going ahead with any project that would involved health and the environment, hopefully one should have learned from such experiences ,but we do not look back regretfully and stop progress .the fact is that the growing concerns that u have stated are unrelated to WTE incidents any place in the world, , As the industry evolves better safe guards are put in place among them the number one issue is the safety of environment,u concerns might be influenced by a past with unfounded fears.

  12. old onion bags Avatar
    old onion bags

    Listen to me man……a high school grad wid a O Level in physics can do justice to any energy equation breds…..V=WQ…where W is elect.energy delivered, Q is charged passed and V is potential difference….even I could remember that from Cawmeer days son…and if in doubt there is Google

  13. old onion bags Avatar
    old onion bags

    Hush ac…..you ent got no O levels….shoite talker dat wat… Kammie is a Cawmeer boy …right Kammie

  14. ac Avatar
    ac

    don’t u mr K. realize that the pollutants associated with garbage is a major threat to peoples health as well as the enviroment , solar energy which is indeed another good source for combating high energy prices does not not resolve the problem of garbage You talk about the WTE plant and pollution u need to do more research and find out the health hazards and dangers that are multiple linked to death and disease killing millions of people yearly because of garbage and the airborne bacteria that thrives which travels millions of miles into the atmosphere ,, that is where your concern should be …the WTE plant has miniscule threats when compared to garbage that stays uncollected or discard by humans in the most unsanitary conditions , when one think about those factors which are real and poise and present a real danger to human animals and environment, one should take into account the cost associated and health risk associated before one regards the WTE plant as a major threat to the environment when it fact the WTE would resolve many of those issues saving govt .
    the cost effect and saving is a big plus which govt will recoup over the years mainly by getting rid of garbage in the most humanely way and the lowering of one health risk associated with garbage which too would lower medical cost for govt. not to mention the lowering of energy cost, You MR, K< could not ask for a better bargain. savings and cost wise for govbt and taxpayer not to mention health

  15. old onion bags Avatar
    old onion bags

    ac
    Like you want me generate 6 KMW right up your crass for good measure to get rid of your airborne bacteria….dun know you would like dat ..as d ole mud pump long time now shut down and a lil stimulation would be good….LOL

  16. ac Avatar
    ac

    now when one comes to a table this must bring all the necessary utensils including the wash of hands before one eat , RIGHT mr K.

  17. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    “Incinerator ash, particularly fly ash, is highly hazardous and must be treated with care, like any other hazardous waste. In an attempt to minimize the dangers of incineration, however, incinerator manufacuters and operators routinely downplay the hazardous nature of the ash. Some even go so far as to bill it as an “inert” material that can be reused for construction or roadbuilding. As a result, incinerator ash is routinely mismanged, and severe risks to public health often result.”
    The report goes on to state that in Newcastle, England, ash from the Byker municipal waste incinerator was regularly spread on pathways, parks and school playing fields. A concerned citizen, despite being accused of scaremongering, arranged for tests to be conducted, and these revealed high levels of dioxins, arsenic, mercury and lead. As a result of the initial “resident sponsored” tests, Newcastle University sought help from German scientists, who did further tests which revealed “dioxin concentrations as high as 9,500 nanogram I-TEQ/kg, compared to “target values” of under 5 nanogram I-TEQ/kg. These dioxin levels were amongst the highest ever recorded. Heavy metal contamination was similarly stratospheric” the report continues, “including mercury 2,406 percent, cadmium at 785 percent and lead at 136 percent above background levels”. http://www.phr4mwr.ca/pdf_docs/Incinerator%20-%20LETTER%20TO%20MOE%20-%20MASTER+.pdf

  18. David Avatar
    David

    Guess it is no different to the aleged harmones which a feed company in Barbados uses. Barbadians are insensitive to these matters anyway so why bother.

  19. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    Incinerators in Disguise

    Incinerators with names like “gasification,” “pyrolysis,” “plasma arc,” and “waste-to-energy” all emit dioxins and other harmful pollutants, despite industry claims that they are “green” technologies.

    Dozens of start-up companies are working to site a new generation of toxic “incinerators in disguise” in communities throughout the world. These are incinerators with names like gasification, pyrolysis, and plasma arc that are promoted by waste companies as “safe” and “green” for community health and the environment. Many of today’s incinerator companies claim that they can safely, cost-effectively and sustainably turn any type of material such as household trash, tires, medical waste, biomass, refuse-derived-fuel and hazardous waste into electricity and fuels like ethanol and bio-diesel. Some companies go so far as to claim that their technology is “zero emissions” or “pollution-free” and not, in fact, incineration at all. However, all of these technologies emit dioxins and other harmful pollutants into the air, soil and water, and they are defined as incineration by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the European Union[1].

    Incinerator technologies such as plasma, pyrolysis and gasification do have some different processes when compared to conventional mass-burn incineration. While mass-burn incinerators combust the waste in a single chamber, these incinerators typically heat the waste materials at high temperatures in one chamber with less oxygen present, and then burn the waste gases in a separate chamber connected to a smoke stack. Regardless of the technology used, the core destructive impacts of all types of incinerators remain the same.

    Incinerators negatively impact public health, local economies, the climate and the environment. The short track record of pyrolysis, plasma and gasification incinerator technologies has shown even higher costs, less dependability, and inconsistent energy generation. In addition, data show that dioxins, furans and other toxins are formed in these systems, and in some cases, toxins are formed in higher quantities than in conventional mass-burn incinerators.

  20. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    @david, Bajans are just too busy to care or be concerned about what another Government is about to commit the country to. Perhaps when persons start dying from respiratory or mysterious ailments the undertakers will make nuff more money while Dr Denis Lowe and friend smile . Expect to pay for garbage collection if the stubborn and arrogant government go against public opinion.

  21. Mottley Avatar
    Mottley

    Spoke to Innovation Manager of Innogen this morning Mr Mark Hill and here is what he told me. $800M can equip all the domestic homes with 2Kwh household power plants with storage. All the Government would need to do is arrange a swap with manufacturers where persons can swap front loading machines, invertors and inefficient lighting.. Thus no longer would we need to import fossil fuels. So why the government wants to encourage the burning of garbage for electricity which will not encourage waste reduction. I smell bribery!

  22. Mottley Avatar
    Mottley

    Something is fundamentally wrong with this picture. Bajans will have to pay for garbage is what this is all about to support the white plantocracy. Bussa and Clement Payne turning in their graves to see how Bajans just accept this nonsense. At least Jamaicans are held accountable. Sad

  23. David Avatar
    David

    Please do not use the names of real people.

    David please find the following letter from a Canadian scientist as it relate to Plasma Gasification and his opposition to Waste To Energy as it relates to WTE and dishonest claims as well as accountability. http://www.phr4mwr.ca/pdf_docs/Incinerator%20-%20LETTER%20TO%20MOE%20-%20MASTER+.pdf

  24. Kammie Holder Avatar
    Kammie Holder

    Poor regulations, no proper testing protocol and corporate interest ahead of environmental concerns. Report of Louis Lynch Secondary is not shared with the public so expect speculations to run high http://www.nationnews.com/articles/view/alive-with-an-issue/

  25. David Avatar
    David

    Both political parties have a track record of suppressing reports paid for with tax dollars. Let us refer to the St. Joseph Hospital Report as an example. This government has contented itself by delivering a ministerial statement after accusing the BLP in Opposition of suppressing the report and in the process dirtying the reputation of the late Brandford Taitt.

  26. New Yorker Avatar
    New Yorker

    While everyone agrees that incinerators do not improve air quality, there is a great deal of controversy over that extent and nature of the harm resulting from releases into the air (and indeed releases to land and water). Although incinerator fumes pass through expensive filter systems, modern incinerators still emit significant levels of NOx and of ultrafine particles. The latter includes nano-particles which are of great concern because they can pass through the lung lining, causing internal inflammation and penetrating to organs (even to the foetus in a pregnant mother)

  27. Town Planner Avatar
    Town Planner

    Taylor Wessing advises Cahill Energy on $240 million investment in Barbados clean energy plant

    18-Mar-2014 | Energy & Environment, Projects

    International law firm Taylor Wessing has advised its client, Cahill Energy, on the historic agreement with the Barbados Government to build and operate a revolutionary Waste to Energy plant on the island. The plant will utilise the most innovative technology available to provide up to 25% of the island’s needs.

    Established to finance, build, own and operate utility-scale Waste to Energy plants in key markets, Guernsey-based Cahill Energy plans to transform all kinds of waste on Barbados into clean, renewable energy. Cahill Energy expects to invest up to $240 million (USD) in the proposed plant, which is set to be built in Vaucluse, St Thomas, creating up to 650 skilled labour jobs and stimulating growth across the island. It will also provide the Government of Barbados with several hundred million dollars in estimated savings over the lifetime of the 30 year contract.

    Dominic FitzPatrick, head of the Energy group at law firm Taylor Wessing said: “Like many Caribbean islands, Barbados is dependent on imported heavy fuel oil for its electricity generation. As a result, electricity prices are higher than much of the rest of the world. This project will enable Barbados to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and reduce the waste sent to landfill, bringing both environmental and economic benefits to Barbados.”

    Dominic FitzPatrick led the team at Taylor Wessing and was supported by David Quinlan (Partner in the Construction and Engineering team) and Colin McCall (Senior Associate in the Patents Team).

    Taylor Wessing is a full-service law firm working with clients in the world’s most dynamic industries, including the energy sector.

    Lawyers Dominic FitzPatrick, David Quinlan, Colin McCall

    http://www.taylorwessing.com/news-insights/details/taylor-wessing-advises-cahill-energy-on-240-million-investment-in-barbados-clean-energy-plant-2014-03-18.html

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