The existing plant, a planning application says, was installed in the 1990s and is now beyond economic repair and not compliant with modern-day health regulations.
It is expected that operating theatres located in block E of the Gwyneth Huelin Wing will be shut for two weeks while work takes place.
Earlier this year, it was estimated that, on top of the costs of keeping the existing hospital in working order, delays to the construction schedule of its replacement could result in costs of around £3.4 million per month.
This includes a charge of £900,000 for each additional month the contract with design-and-delivery partner ROK and Spanish firm FCC is extended.
It also covers an estimated additional £1.2m per month to retain the project team beyond March 2022. Inflation could also contribute £1.9m in additional costs each month based on a rate of between 2% and 4.75%.
Documents attached to application for the new ventilation system say: ‘Delays in providing a new Island hospital have highlighted the need to replace the existing plant with new plant.
‘The proposed duct route has been determined on the fact that the existing theatres need to be fully operational and therefore the internal plant will run until a designated weekend when the theatres are not in use and the air-handling units can be switched over.’
It adds: ‘The new penetration [of the ducts] through the roof was the only option available to avoid a significant shutdown period for the two existing theatres.’
In the document, it adds that the ventilation systems in block E provide clean, filtered air to clinical areas and it is therefore crucial that they are not out of order for long.
A government spokesperson said they were unable to disclose the estimated cost for the new system owing to an ongoing tender exercise.
