ESG Radio Broadcast 29th November 2012

Today’s newsletter will touch on a few topics – to start with you may have caught sight of our great plastic monster on tour around Gibraltar last week – perhaps you saw him in the streets or in local papers and wondered what was going on? Well, this was the creature’s swansong tour helping promote awareness of the imminent launch of plastic recycling on the Rock, before heading away for recycling itself. The monster was the product of many hours of work during the summer month workshops by the ESG, Eco Art and the Gibraltar Youth Service, piecing together a huge mass of plastic containing over 1,000 plastic bottles and many hundreds of plastic bags. Material came from local company, Saccone & Speed, and the Gibraltar community. The CUTW Parade was the main stage for the monster. The inspiration for the model came from a similar sculpture built elsewhere in Europe as part of an educational and awareness programme on the dangers and issues surrounding plastic waste in our communities today. So a very serious message, delivered in an eye catching and rather comical way. Thanks to Eco Art, Master Services and the GBC Production team.

Just a final word to those of you interested in this topic- if you still don’t know where your nearest recycling bins are, look in the Gibraltar Telephone Directory, under section Around & About in Gibraltar, pages 8 & 9, for a detailed breakdown on rubbish disposal guidelines. We hope that Government will soon give the green light for recycling of plastic.

Last week’s DPC meeting packed in a detailed agenda. The Charles Hunt Room was equally packed with standing room only, as several items of public interest were discussed. On the agenda were listed buildings, tree felling, extensions, demolitions, add-ons, you name it, it was on there and lively discussions were held in an open, public format, which really is a breath of fresh air. No longer do we suffer major developments being pronounced with no or little forewarning. At the very least today, we may not always like what is proposed to the DPC, but, at the very least, the public has a right to hear, object and follow the rationale for planning approval, if given. This is a tangible and very important step towards the democratisation of Gibraltar’s planning matters. With the Town Planning Department being provided additional human resources, this also means that a more holistic and thorough service can be delivered to the community. The 1999 Town Planning Act is also currently under review and will be up for public consultation before such review is completed.

The ESG has now sat in on eleven DPC meetings. We hope we are making a positive contribution in the area of environmental safety in planning and have found the whole process, so far, of great interest.
Please contact us if you have any queries or simply want information on any local environmental issue- we are always willing to try and help. A word to our members that we shall be renewing subscriptions before the end of the year as usual and hope we can count on your support.

Contact us on: 200-48996 or 54960000, email at esg@gibtelecom.net and visit our website at: www.esg-gib.net

Hot news at the moment is the temporary power station to be set up at the corner of Western Arm and the North Mole. Our group responded very positively to this announcement by Govt last week given that’s its priority is to both secure electricity supply this winter AND reduce harmful air and noise emissions which have plagued residents living next to the ageing power stations for the past two decades. No-one who lives in the vicinity of these monsters, and whose day to day lives have been plagued by them can think that investing in a solution NOW is anything but long overdue. Yes, we all expect and anticipate the long term plan for Gibraltar’s total energy needs to be announced without further delay and we certainly will continue to monitor this urging Govt to make its decision known as soon as possible.

In our many discussions with Government we understand that renewable energy programmes are currently and actively being looked at with a view to installing such technology soon as part of Gibraltar’s energy needs. With a parallel programme running to increase energy efficiency in our community as well as the immediate action of setting up this new temporary power station the ESG believes we are finally moving in the right direction. Our advisers compare the new turbine engines that will be set up at the North Mole as “moving from propellers, to jet engine technology”. This modern technology will also significantly reduce air pollution which is harmful to our health as well as fuel consumption that will also bring about financial benefits. What the ESG remains concerned about however is how long the three ageing stations are operational and will be calling upon Govt for these to be decommissioned as quickly as possible. Let’s face it investing in Gibraltar’s energy needs is not only important for our quality of life and health but also a requirement of meeting EU Directives on air quality stds which are presently being breached by the existing power stations.

For those interested in planning matters in Gibraltar: perhaps you are concerned about a development in your back yard? you should know that the next DPC meeting takes place on the 22nd November at 9.30am at the John Mack Hall with items on the agenda that seem to cover proposed activity throughout every corner of Gibraltar. No doubt somewhere near you! For more information go to: Gibraltar.gov.gi/Town planning, where you will find the link to DPC, that’s the Development and Planning Commission, with full agenda details.

The ESG is happy to take your enquiries on any environmental issue of concern to you so please call us at 200-48996 or 54960000, you can also email us at esg@gibtelecom.net or find us on Facebook too.
Look forward to hearing from you. Thanks for listening.

Friday, 9th November 2012

Govt announces £4m contract for new temporary power station

by Eyleen Sheil

The Government has announced a £4m temporary solution to the problematic electrical supply issue in Gibraltar by renting a temporary power station at the north western end of the North Mole.

The new North Mole temporary power station is due to come into commission by the middle of next month and is currently being shipped from the United States. The Government has entered into a two year agreement worth £4m with Energy International Inc, a US based company, for the supply of temporary electrical power using rental turbine power, which can be fuelled on either gas or diesel but will be fuelled in this situation on diesel.

According to the Government these units operate on proven technology and are extremely reliable. They incorporate “SoLoNox Low Emission Technology” which is considered to be more environmentally-friendly compared to the diesel engine technology that has been used in Gibraltar for the last eighty years.

The new temporary units are expected to provide up to five megawatts of generating capacity and are designed to run twenty four hours a day.

“The twelve skid generators imported by the previous administration (eight rented and four bought outright) were capable only of one megawatt generating capacity each and were not designed to be run continually. These skid generators may soon become surplus to requirements,” said a Government spokesperson.

The Government envisages that the new temporary power plant will be fully operational by mid December 2012. Just before the winter peak demand. The new facility is expected to enable Government to improve security of supply during peak demand periods when power cuts have previously occurred as a result of a lack of generating capacity.

The advent of the new temporary power station will permit for variations in the operating regimes of all three existing power stations in Gibraltar, which should result in an overall lowering of emissions. In particular NOx emissions are predicted to reduce by 40% per megawatt generated by the new temporary power plant immediately.

The aim is also to reduce the operational running of the power stations in the South District and in the Waterport area whenever demand allows during the silent hours, without comprising the security of supply. This should lower the emissions and reduce the noise levels in these areas during these periods.

“The Government of Gibraltar is also continuing to identify alternative ways of further reducing the emissions arising from the production of electricity in Gibraltar. To this effect Government is already working with Energy International on the fitting of Catalytic Reduction technology (known as “Scrubbers”) to these turbines. The fitting of such scrubbers will further reduce emissions by another 97%. These will, however, have to be fitted at a later date due to design and availability issues that need to be resolved.

The Government’s first priority, however, has been to secure the reliability of electrical supplies for the winter peak demand and to service the existing engines to improve their reliability and performance, which in turn further increase security of supply and reduces emissions,” said a Government spokesperson.

Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: “As I have said previously, security of Gibraltar’s electricity supply is one of the most important issues for my Administration. We have been working tirelessly on this issue in the past eleven months in an Inter Ministerial Committee and with our electrical, technical, environmental and financial experts. We are now ready to announce this excellent temporary solution that is designed to ensure security of supply – something which the previous administration’s one megawatt skid generators demonstrably did not do. We have actually engineered a solution that gives this security whilst also reducing emissions hugely at first and even more so (almost to 1% of current emissions from the existing facilities) with “scrubbers” fitted.”

“The good news is that the noise nuisance and pollution from all existing power stations in the South District and Waterport will be eliminated or very significantly reduced during silent hours and also to a lesser extent during the day,” he adds.

Concluding the Chief Minister said: “The next step is to finalise our determination on the long term solution by the decision on what permanent power solution is to be chosen. Again environmental, noise and cost issues will be relevant alongside security of supply in the final determinations we have to make in this respect. At the same time, we are at a very advanced stage in the introduction of renewable energy sources from different types of technologies. These are the right decisions for our community and I am delighted to have led the Committee in its deliberations to date and going forward to the stage when we announce the permanent solution for power generation for the future.”

ESG reaction

The ESG have said that they welcome the Government’s announcement on the new, temporary power station at the North Mole.

“After over a decade of campaigning, and several meetings held with Government throughout this year, we believe that at long last, steps are being taken that will help alleviate the shocking conditions created by the three ageing power stations, and suffered by thousands of local residents,” said a spokesperson.

According to the group many people understand that the noise and air emissions from these stations are not simply nuisance factors but are also harmful to health; therefore, a reduction of such pollution can only be seen as extremely positive news.

“Of course, this is a temporary solution and Government is still planning its final, and long-term power station replacement which we hope will also be located away from residential areas, follow highest standards and technology. We trust that a decision for this is taken soon,” said the group.

The group also said that they understand that renewable energy options are also being looked at very carefully with a view to incorporating these into Gibraltar’s energy needs.

Something that the ESG has been calling for years and as a result they say that they welcome all steps taken in this hugely important direction and await further announcements with interest.

http://www.chronicle.gi/headlines_details.php?id=26655

ESG Press Release on
New Govt Energy plans announcement

The ESG welcomes Government’s announcement today on the new, temporary power station at the North Mole.

After over a decade of campaigning, and several meetings held with Government throughout this year, we believe that at long last, steps are being taken that will help alleviate the shocking conditions created by the three ageing power stations, and suffered by thousands of local residents.

Many understand that the noise and air emissions from these stations are not simply nuisance factors but are also harmful to health; therefore, a reduction of such pollution as pledged by the Chief Minister in his announcement today can only be seen as extremely positive news.

Of course, this is a temporary solution and Government is still planning its final, and long-term power station replacement which we hope will also be located away from residential areas, follow highest standards and technology. We trust that a decision for this is taken soon.

Meanwhile, it is understood that renewable energy options are also being looked at very carefully with a view to incorporating these into Gibraltar’s energy needs.

The ESG has been calling for such measures for years and we therefore welcome all steps taken in this hugely important direction and await further announcements with interest.