An Anguillian Environmental Engineer, trained in the United Kingdom, has warned Government against implementing the proposed Waste to Energy Project in Anguilla, citing the harmful emissions and other health hazards which he said can result.
The project, which has been under discussion in Anguilla for some time now, with the company, proposes to use solid waste material at the Corito Dumpsite to generate electricity for consumers in Anguilla. The claim is that such electricity would be cheaper and a competitive alternative to expensive fossil fuel.
But Mr Rommel Hughes, the Environmental Engineer, referred to above, sharply differs – arguing that the Waste to Energy Project is dangerous and should be abandoned by the Anguilla United Movement Government which he alleged has turned its back on renewable sources of energy like solar and wind power.
Mr Hughes was a speaker at a public meeting in Road North on Friday, October 3, where the Independent Candidate is former Minister of Social Development, Mr Edison Baird, who has been the Elected Representative in the constituency for some twenty years.
“Given all the uncertainty and possible harmful consequences of this project to our people, I am at a loss as to why this administration seems hell-bent in pursuing it,” Mr Hughes, former CEO of the Anguilla Water Corporation, stated. He went on: “The primary movers of this administration need to step back and take a long, hard look at the implications of this project because, in my opinion, what they are trying to achieve – I suppose to reduce power cost – is not the answer. What has happened to our alternative sources of energy: solar, wind, ocean waves and currents? We have all of them here in Anguilla and they need to be investigated.” He substantiated his remarks by reading a portion of the Environmental Impact Assessment which pointed out that Anguilla has all of those alternatives with the potential of providing electrical power for distributed use.
Mr Hughes continued: “As an Environmental Engineer, trained by the taxpayers of this country, and having done a Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering at the University of Newcastle –Upon-Tyne, I am offering free advice to this administration not to pursue this project. It is bad news for us in this country… and it should not be allowed to appear around civilised, loving and decent people. A word of warning is sufficient for those who want to hear. However, that word may not be enough to save Anguilla from the oncoming scourge that this AUM Administration appears willing to unleashed upon us.
“In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, this waste to energy project is not green as they propose it; it is not sustainable; it is not environmentally friendly or cost-effective. The hidden cost for this project, and the energy it will produce, are tied up in the various guarantees requested of the people of Anguilla. If, for whatever reason, we can’t live up to these guarantees, only one or two things can happen:…the company moves, or we pay the price of having waste imported into Anguilla with all of its contaminant effects…
“It is very clear from the literature I have reviewed, and the evidence as catalogued in that literature, that this apparent energy solution is nothing else than a red herring which, if implemented, will become a public health disaster, and a public health nightmare, on a number of fronts.”
Following Mr Hughes’ address, Mr. Baird was introduced by Ms Patricia Hodge, of Sandy Ground, who gave a wide-ranging report on the various projects he had been able to implement, in the Road North constituency over the years, as reasons for his re-election. Mr Baird, himself, defended his record in Government and the principles he had stood for; the disagreements he had with the Chief Minister and fellow Ministers and what he perceived to have been some of the reasons for having been “thrown out of the Government.”
Mr Baird is one of three candidates in Road North. The others are Mrs Evalie Bradley of the Anguilla United Front and Mr Patrick Hanley of the Anguilla United Movement.
