Filenews 23 January 2021 - by Angelos Nikolaou
The construction of the Integrated Waste Management Facility (EEDA) in Pentakom, three years after construction, continues to be under-functioning.
The biggest problem of OEDA Pentakomos at the moment is the inability to dispose of the secondary fuel produced for its energy utilization, which results in its disposal in the HYTY with any consequences it has. In an effort to resolve the problem, the Ministry of Agriculture is promoting the implementation of a second six-month energy recovery test of part of the rdf secondary fuel produced at Vasilikos Cement Factory, which still does not meet the contract specifications. At the same time, with the burial of secondary fuel RDF in the cell of the plant, the space of the landfill is almost full.
Other serious problems or obstacles that exist and make it difficult for the OEDA to operate are the current difficulty of the plant's contractor in exploiting the Plant's Biological Processing Facility for the production of electricity for its own use, as well as finding a final recipient for the secondary fuel produced, both because of its quality characteristics and the available final recovery options.
However, the competent services are ready to take over the management of the unit themselves in case something goes wrong and the work in the unit is suspended or even terminated. This is because there is a risk that serious public health and environmental protection issues will arise, as well as additional economic consequences for the state.
Actions of the competent Ministry
With the actions of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, a Technical Consultant will be hired very soon, who, after assessing the current situation, will make suggestions on compared proposals submitted by the contractor of the plant. The aim of these proposals is, inter alia, to improve the quality of the secondary fuel produced, as well as to make maximum use of incoming waste, on the basis of the waste management hierarchy.
Already, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment, following a decision of the Council of Ministers, has appointed a Special Research Committee to examine the facts concerning the design and construction of the plant as well as weaknesses that may arise from the provisions of the Convention. It has also commissioned Technical Consultants to study the issue of the high moisture content that arose in secondary fuel. In addition, a working group has been set up, the members of which have been selected on the basis of their direct involvement in the issues relating to the operation of the Pentakomos EEDA, with a view to investigating and resolving issues concerning the day-to-day smooth and orderly functioning of the unit.
The competent Ministry has also assessed a number of proposals and/or requirements of the contractor, in cooperation with special advisers from the European Commission.
They picked up the unit with problems.
The construction of OEDA Pentakomos was completed in November 2017, with the issuance by the external Consultant Engineers of the Ministry of interior of the certificate of temporary receipt of the project. After the plant operated for about a year, in December 2018, the Consultant Engineers issued the certificate of final receipt of the project, certifying that the contractor had essentially fulfilled his obligation to perform and complete the project, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and repair any defects in it. It should be noted that in the meantime, the monitoring/management of the Convention has been undertaken by the Department of Water Development (TS), until it is handed over to the Council for the Exploitation of Areas for the Disposal and Recovery of Household Waste of Limassol Province, as foreseen from the beginning.
From the waste management process, a mixture of secondary fuel is produced, consisting of RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) at about 92% and SRF (Solid Recovered Fuel), at about 8% of the total quantity. The fuel mixture amounts to about 46% of all waste and its management is the responsibility of the Employer, i.e. the TD. Secondary fuel, according to relevant letters from the Vasilikos Cement Factory, could, under certain conditions, be taken to the premises of the Cement Factory for use as a solid alternative fuel.
After the start of the operation of the Pentakomos OEDA, and after modifications were made to the unit in order for the RDF to be delivered in the form desired by the Vasilikos Cement Factory (sliced, baled and wrapped with plastic film) and separated from the SRF, tests were carried out to burn the RDF in the Cement Factory. During these tests, it has been apparent that the RDF produced does not comply with the specifications of the Convention with regard to its maximum permissible moisture content, with the result that the Vasilikos Cement Factory refuses to receive it.
It is also noted that, in the results of the operation of the Unit for a period of one year, i.e. until December 2018 when the certificate of final receipt of the project was issued, most of the analyses of the characteristics of the RDF produced were presented within the prescribed limits. Individual deviations from the maximum moisture content of rdf provided for in the Convention were observed, but they were within the acceptable "relaxations" of the Convention.
Taking into account the deviations of the characteristics of the RDF produced from those provided for in the Agreement, under the guidance of the Auditor General, it was decided to keep significant amounts of the Contractor's claims.
We threw away €40m (€40m) in cash.
The president of the Ecologists' Movement, Charalambos Theopetou, in an intervention on social media presents photos of his visit to the factory and points out that the Republic has effectively thrown €40m (£40m) into the project. for the construction of a factory which "makes no difference from a simple landfill that the EU forbids us to operate. So expect more serious warnings from the EU."
