New Stanley Port to stretch quarry capacity
Written by Nicholas Roberts for the 29th of January 2021 Edition of Penguin News, headline: “New port project to need 900,000t of stone”
MLA Roger Edwards, portfolio holder for Public Works this week spoke to PN about the ongoing project for the new port to replace FIPASS, and the resources it will require.
The status of the project was questioned in a public meeting on January 25, where MLA Barry Elsby reassured the public that BAM Nuttall – the company responsible for the construction of the port, “took on board all of the suggestions,” during stakeholder consultation, and “within the contract, as always, there are key points for making decisions, and penalty clauses. So if they or us cause delays there will be financial penalties for one or the other. So everybody is keen on making sure that the project goes on time with the key stages and decisions made and followed.”
During comments at the public meeting, MLA Edwards stated that 900,000 tons of stone would be needed for the port construction.
Asked about the pressure this would place on the quarry (the quarry has been quoted as usually producing between 60-120,000 tons of stone per annum) MLA Edwards said, “the supply of stone” has been “looked at” and that BAM Nuttall “will be bringing people down to assist the quarry if they are going to take the stone from the quarry.”
On Wednesday MLA Edwards told PN it wasn’t certain yet but, “They may be taking the stone from somewhere else closer to [the site]” in a location as of yet undefined, but noted that it could be, “like the military when they were looking for stone in ’82, opening up Mary Hill or somewhere like that.” The value of this, MLA Edwards said, would be in avoiding transporting what would be 30,000 ten-ton lorries each carrying 30 tons of stone on Stanley roads.
Asked whether other resources taken from the Islands, such as water, could be equally significant, MLA Edwards said that it “shouldn’t be unless we have a drought situation.”
Nicholas Roberts