Nipdec in charge of incinerator project

Nipdec’s general manager, Margaret Thompson, made the disclosure yesterday as she stated that Nipdec was "committed to getting it done."

She was responding to queries about the $2 million incinerator which was delivered to the PoSGH in May 2003, but has not been used because developmental work, which included construction of a building to house the incinerator, was stopped.

To date, items from PoSGH are being incinerated at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex on Fridays.

Thompson said the contractor was fired two weeks ago because of failure to perform. "The building is not complete." She said the termination of the contract with International Waste Industries was the final step after attempts were made to get the project restarted, including negotiating new terms and conditions. Thompson said Nipdec also wrote to the contractor, but received no response.

Nipdec will be getting a new contractor for the building, and hoped to have the warranties for the equipment honoured.

Tenders will have to go out again, but Thompson said the Health Ministry (Nipdec’s client) would have to decide on how the developmental work would be funded.

While she could give a restart date for the incinerator project, she was confident it would be completed this year.

In a story carried last June, Newsday reported problems between the supplier of the incinerator — IWI and Nipdec and between IWI and its sub-contractors. Nipdec subsequently responded to the article by stating new negotiations were taking place with IWI to get the project completed. Nipdec said the project was halted temporarily.