PHOTO CREDIT:  GOOGLE INC. / GOOGLE MAPS

While reviewing the Public Works Agenda and Minutes of last week’s meeting, we (not surprisingly) found that the our good ol’ friend the CoGen is once again showing signs of aging.  For a project whose turbines were “purchased about 2010 and periodically in service since 2015” and breaking down constantly since, it definitely appears to be on it’s last legs.

This time, it appears that the “recuperator” in the south turbine has a hole in it.  The cost of a replacement part was estimated to be in the range of $24,000 to $32,000 (USD?), depending if a used part versus a new one was to be sourced.

Considering igniters were just replaced in both the north and south turbine this year at a cost of $7,000, a noise containment wall (and the consultant to pay for it) for the “whisper quiet” turbines built to the tune of $100,000 plus another $56,000 for the Ministry of Environment noise testing… it makes one wonder, why the whole project isn’t just boarded up as a monument to mishandled energy projects.

The recommendation that was carried by the PWC suggested the south turbine be decommissioned and cannibalized for parts, to extend whatever life that the north turbine has left.  This may sound like a great way to keep the north turbine going, but every time something goes a technician has to be flown in from the US to fix it.   Despite the “free parts”, the costs of having to import the required expertise and have them work on the CoGen are probably quite significant.

You can read the report to the committee here:  https://grimsby.civicweb.net/FileStorage/807639298FD24DB2AA7777DEB4C10537-DPW17-39%20-%20THCogen%20StnMntnOper.pdf

For more background on the CoGen, you can read our previous posts here:
http://www.grimsbycitizens.com/2017/07/13/throwback-thursday-the-cogen-vision-in-2010

http://www.grimsbycitizens.com/2017/05/19/grimsby-projects-whats-going-on-reader-commentary/

http://www.grimsbycitizens.com/2017/06/18/notice-grimsby-town-council-meeting-june-19-2017/