Incinerator is Topped out

More than 120 people attended the topping out ceremony of the new incinerator at La Collette yesterday.

The Lieutenant-Governor, Lieutenant-General Andrew Ridgway, unveiled a plaque at the £110 million energy-from-waste plant, currently dominating the Havre des Pas skyline at 37 metres high.

The three main contractors on the site are Constructions Industrielles de la Méditerranée (CNIM), Spie Batignolles and Camerons.

Camerons chief executive Martin Holmes said: “This particular ceremony celebrates a momentous achievement for the construction team and welcomes in the final phase of works before the plant is officially handed over to Transport and Technical Services when fully operational.”

The construction of the La Collette plant started in February last year and is scheduled to run for 26 months.
At the peak of building work about 350 construction workers were on site, making it Jersey’s largest construction project.

Transport Minister Mike Jackson said: “I have been delighted to watch this incinerator grow from a hole in the ground to what you see today. Today’s ceremony is a key landmark. It will be a considerable relief to me to no longer rely on Bellozanne. It really is on its last legs.”
The incinerator, designed by Hopkins Architects, attracted criticism during its construction as Islanders and politicians worried about the size and cost of the project.
Mr Jackson said: “It has been a long, tortuous and expensive path to get this off the ground.”

During the waste burning process ten megawatts of electricity will be generated.

CNIM operations director Boris Perras and Jersey Electricity Company chief executive Chris Ambler also spoke at the ceremony before Mr Ridgway unveiled the plaque.

After the speeches, people who attended the ceremony – which included Terry le Sueur, Environment Minister Freddie Cohen and Housing Minister Sean Power, as well as other politicians – were invited to look into the waste bunker from a viewing platform.

Energy from Waste facts:

• To date the project has involved 9,000 cubic metres of concrete, 800 tons of structural steelwork, 10,000 square metres of cladding and 300 km of cabling.
• In the 20 months of construction over half a million hours have been worked by staff.
• A controlled blast of 3,000 cubic metres was conducted to allow the waste bunker to be constructed.
• Jersey currently burns about 80,000 tons of waste every year at the Bellozanne incinerator site. The new incinerator will be able to burn 105,000 tons.
• Burning waste will generate enough electricity to supply 6,000 to 10,000 homes.
• The furnace will have to burn at a temperature of 850°C for two seconds for the waste to be completely destroyed.
• The pit or bunker of the incinerator will be able to contain 14 days worth of the Island’s rubbish.

Jersey Evening Post - Wednesday 8th September 2010

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