A FAULT with the incinerator cost the government £325,000 in additional costs and missed income, a ministerial decision has revealed.
In a report accompanying the decision it says the plant, called the Energy Recovery Facility, had to be shut down in November last year after cracks were discovered on welding on a generator rotor.
It added that following a technical assessment to ensure the facility was safe, the plant was turned back on in December. However, because of how waste had begun to build up, it was restarted without the generator being able to produce electricity as normal.
The government-owned plant usually sells its power back into the grid – contributing to 5% of Jersey’s requirements. However, due to the fault it missed out on income of around £225,000. In addition to this, the government had to buy electricity to run the incinerator – costing around £100,000.
In a ministerial decision, Treasury Minister Susie Pinel has authorised the transfer of £325,000 into the Infrastructure, Housing and Environment Department budget to cover the costs.
In addition to the 5% of energy the ERF produces, the Island receives the remaining 95% of its power needs through three undersea cables connecting Jersey to the French grid. This generally consists of ⅓ hydro and ⅔ nuclear electricity.
