No binding agreement signed
PRIME Minister, the Right Honourable Freundel Stuart, yesterday told the media that he never signed any agreement to bind the Government of Barbados to the once proposed plasma gasification project.
Moreover, he told media bosses and journalists attending a 50th anniversary of Independence luncheon at Ilaro Court, that there was never an application made to the Town Planning Department regarding such a waste-to-energy plant. As such, he said there can be no liabilities hidden for the Government, given the decision not to move forward with the proposal.
“If you are going to put a satellite dish on your house, you have to get the permission of the Chief Town Planner; if you are going to build on a little wall back on a chattel house to get water borne bathroom facilities, you have to get the permission of the Chief Town Planner. If you are going to build a plasma gasification plant in Barbados... if you are going to pursue an investment of millions of dollars, to establish something as path breaking as a plasma gasification plant, it would be a matter of a great wonder if you are going to do all of that without applying to the Chief Town Planner for permission to do it,” he said.
PM Stuart, who has ministerial responsibility for the Town Planning Office, also disclosed that up to yesterday, no application had been made by anyone to establish a plasma gasification plant in this country. He went on to say that if such an application is every made, before any approval can be given, the Chief Town Planner is duty bound to consult with the Environmental Protection Department, the Ministry of Transport and Work, the Barbados Water Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture.
“And based on what they tell him [Chief Town Planner], he would then have to decide whether, in the context of what is being asked for, the project should be approved or not. That is what happens routinely.
“In addition to that, given the scale of any given project, the Chief Town Planner is empowered by law to have, or to insist on having, an environmental impact assessment done of the project… That has to be done in the public domain, the people have to be able to express their views and so on, and on the basis of what comes out of that environmental impact assessment, that helps to inform the kind of advice that the Town Planning Department will give to the Minister of Town Planning as to whether we should accept a project or not,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s comments came as he revealed that the plasma gasification idea was put forward as early as 2005, but it was not pursued then. The idea was put forward again more recently by an overseas company, which suggested the technology was the best way to deal with the challenges with solid waste.
“They said they would like to enter into an arrangement with Government to establish a plasma gasification plant in Barbados. They said Government was being asked to do nothing by way of finance, they were prepared to put every single cent of finance that was required into it, all that they would ask of the Government of Barbados is to provide the land,” he said.
He indicated that as discussions continued, the promoters of the project wanted an agreement signed to bind the Government to the initiative and to give the proposed project the “kind of profile it needed”. But he insisted no such agreement was signed.
“I put pen to paper and I made it very clear that the only way… anybody could procure the signature of the Prime Minister of Barbados to bind the people of Barbados, was if any document he had to sign was seen and scrutinised by the Solicitor General of Barbados and the exequatur of the Solicitor General was secured,” he said. (JRT)