PHILIPSBURG – “I believe that the powers to be don’t want to fix the problem because they benefit from the situation as it is.” caretaker VROMI-Minister Christophe Emmanuel said on Wednesday about his plans for a waste-to-energy facility on Pond Island.
Emmanuel said that the facility could be ready within 18 months, assuming that the supervisory board of GEBE signs off on the power purchase agreement. Currently, two board members – Tadzio Bervoets and Bienvenido Richardson – have affixed their signature to the agreement. Emmanuel said that a third board member has made a commitment to sign but that he still needs additional information.
The “$80 to $85 million project” as the minister described it will create 150 local jobs and produce electricity at a cost of 26 cent per Kilowatt hour. GEBE currently produces power for 43 cent per Kilowatt hour.
Emmanuel said that he has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian company Envirogreen Mining in July. After scrutiny by lawyers in Canada and in St. Maarten, the document is ready for handling by the Council of Ministers and for authorizing the minister to sign the agreement.
Minister Emmanuel said that the agreement has been with GEBE for three months awaiting four signatures from members of the supervisory board to the power purchase agreement. “Even there, games are being played.” he said. The powers to be are stifling it, making phone calls and threats, but I am not afraid of them. I welcome their threats.”
The minister scoffed at a press statement from the President of Parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams. It stated, among other things: “Not wanting to waste any time with questions to the Minister, which would most probably go unanswered, contact was sought with the company. On a hunch, I invited the principals of Envirogreen to have an audience with Parliament and present their plans for the dump site in Philipsburg. I was pleasantly surprised with the quick reaction to this invitation by Envirogreen’s COO, Mr. Quade. I therefore look forward to his/their visit to St. Maarten before year’s end.”
Minister Emmanuel waved the memorandum of understanding, saying that he was going to release it to the media. “I am not going to be part of anybody’s puppet show.” he said. “I have the solution. In fifteen years, the landfill, which is currently 43 meters high, will be half the size. Out of seventeen bids, Envirogreen was the only company that offered mining the landfill.”
According to the minister, the waste-to-energy facility will come with a 9 Megawatt power plant. “No more power outages, reduced GEBE -bills and $9 million waiting to be injected in our economy.”
Photo caption: Minister Christophe Emmanuel. Photo Hilbert Haar
