Wednesday 03 May 2017
Construction of new waste management facilities at Longue Hougue will begin this summer.
States' Trading Supervisory Board president, Deputy Charles Parkinson, will today sign a £25.2 million contract for the main infrastructure required for the island's future waste management.
The contract includes construction of the new transfer station, to receive and process waste from households and businesses prior to export for energy recovery or recycling.
It also covers general development of the Longue Hougue site. That includes installation of services, drainage, and access roads; construction of a three metre high flood protection bund around the entire south east corner of the site; and general landscaping.
The contract has been awarded to international engineering firm Amec Foster Wheeler (AmecFW), and the main construction work will be carried out by its local subcontractor Geomarine.
The Longue Hougue development received planning approval last year.
AmecFW will now progress the detailed design of the transfer station, and Geomarine is expected to begin mobilising staff and equipment on site in July. The transfer station is due to be operational next year, with full commissioning completed in 2019.
Deputy Parkinson said the contract signing marked a significant milestone.
"This is the culmination of many months of hard work, planning and detailed negotiations. The preliminary design and planning phases have already been completed, and with the contract agreed Amec Foster Wheeler can now progress with the detailed design elements.
"Progress should now be swift. We hope to see construction work beginning on site in July, and the commission phase of the new transfer station should start in the second half of 2018. That is important as the remaining life of Mont Cuet is very limited. It is also a timely boost to the local construction industry."
The main infrastructure contract does not include a new, purpose-built household waste recycling centre, which is also planned for Longue Hougue. Construction of that facility, which will be next to the transfer station, will be under a separate contract which is expected to go out to tender this month.
The transfer station will receive general household waste from parish collections, as well as commercial waste. The materials will be used to produce a refuse derived fuel, or RDF, suitable for export to an off-island energy recovery facility to generate heat and electricity.
Incoming waste will initially go through a mechanical shredding process, before undergoing magnetic separation to remove metals for recycling. It will then be formed into bales, of approximately one metre cubes, wrapped in plastic film and loaded onto shipping trailers.
On average, around four trailers a day will be exported to the UK, Monday to Saturday. These will travel on existing freight services, using spare return capacity.
The transfer station will also receive food waste, which it is proposed will in future be collected separately from general refuse. This will be pre-processed at the new facility and put into tankers, ready for export to the UK for energy recovery and recycling. Specific odour control measures will be in place throughout.
A number of food waste treatment facilities have been built in the UK in recent years, with more planned. The material will be used to generate electricity and produce compost.
Glass will also be delivered to the transfer station, in preparation for recycling.
The facility is designed to process 26,000 tonnes of residual waste, which is expected to decrease as recycling levels increase. It also has capacity for 4,000 tonnes of food waste, and 2,500 tonnes of glass.
A full Traffic Impact Assessment found there will be no significant increase in vehicle movements, either during construction or when the transfer station is operational. There will however be a reduction in large vehicles using Vale Avenue and Route Militaire, to access Fontaine Vinery or Mont Cuet, which will be a positive effect.
