RA Directed To ‘Commence Appropriate Actions’
[Updated] The Minister of Home Affairs received a letter from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources notifying him of “BELCO’s breach of the Clean Air Act 1991″ and he has directed “the Regulatory Authority to commence appropriate actions.”
The June 30th official notices had an item titled ‘Direction to the Regulatory Authority Regarding BELCO Emissions’, which was signed by Minister of Home Affairs Walter Roban and said, “On June 21st, I received a letter from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, in which they have notified me of BELCO’s breach of the Clean Air Act 1991, and therefore BELCO’s breach of condition 5.4.8 of their operating license.
“Due to this breach and in accordance with section 7 of the Regulatory Authority Act 2011 and in exercise of my powers under section 8 of the Electricity Act 2016, I hereby direct the Regulatory Authority to commence appropriate actions as allowed by the Electricity Act 2016, BELCO’s operating license, and any other terms or conditions set in the change of ownership, with immediate effect.”
Update 9.40am: BELCO President, Wayne Caines said, “As Bermuda’s sole provider of electricity, we at BELCO take our responsibility to the community seriously – not only in terms of providing safe, reliable power, but also to take every measure possible to minimise the impacts of our operations on our environment and community.
“On Friday, June 30th, BELCO became aware of a notice in the Official Gazette issued by the Hon. Walter Roban J.P., M.P., Minister of Home Affairs concerning a direction given to the Regulatory Authority regarding BELCO’s emissions and an alleged breach of the Clean Air Act 1991 [CAA] and BELCO’s operating licence under the CAA.
“BELCO is unaware of any non-compliance with its obligations under the CAA and therefore wishes to address this matter as expeditiously as possible. BELCO is pursuing discussions to seek clarification and will provide assurances of the steps it is taking in relation to its plant emissions.
“Since issues were identified with the North Power Station [NPS] in 2020, our team has taken a systematic approach to rectifying the problem including installing shims and piston crowns on all four engines. A new engine operating protocol has also been implemented which relates to engine startup procedures and governor setting changes. This reduces the amount of fuel injected during start-up, which will result in the reduction of soot buildup in the exhaust over time. In the coming months a dryer skid will be installed which will remove moisture from the combustion process and further reduce soot fallout from the NPS exhaust stack. BELCO has also adjusted operational procedures whereby light fuel oil is used when starting an NPS engine and returning it to service. This has resulted in a reduction in particulate matter during start-up and a reduction in impacts experienced by area residents.
“BELCO continually monitors our impact on the environment through ambient air quality measuring sites in Pembroke which provides data to ensure BELCO operations are operating within the Bermuda standards.
“Should our neighbours experience any impacts, we encourage them to notify us as soon as possible by filling out the form available on our website or emailing ohse@belco.bm.
“I want to thank our neighbours and the community for their patience while we work to continuously improve our operations and reduce our impacts on our neighbours and the community.”
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“The Minister of Home Affairs … has directed “the Regulatory Authority to commence appropriate actions.””
So much for the independence of the RA. It is now just another political tool in disguise.
Ironic, since it was the RA that stopped Belco using LNG. Going to be fun when they get their lawyers involved.
Off to buy popcorn….
In other words, we’re getting ready for an election so we need for you to like us again…