A local tourism operator and environmentalist is calling for an independent review of a proposal to develop a facility to convert imported plastics to liquid fuel in the Lewisporte area.
US-based Synergy World Power is proposing to develop a multi-billion dollar facility in the town’s port that they say will convert plastics brought in from Europe into a low-sulfur liquid fuel in a process known as “gasification.”
Little is known about the company other than it has attempted to develop similar proposals in other jurisdictions.
Graham Wood, who owns Mussel Bed Tours, says there are more questions than answers when it comes to the proposal. He says it’s been suggested that the power produced by the facility will be used to power a new data centre in Grand Falls-Windsor. That he doesn’t understand because we currently have a surplus of power.
He’s fearful Newfoundland will become a dumping ground for the world’s plastic.
Wood says the technology is not proven and all projects the company has started have failed. He says from what he’s read they’ve never been able to meet the goals they set.
Wood says public hearings and an independent expert review of the project needs to be conducted before it’s seriously considered. It’s been suggested that the project could created 500 jobs, but he questions if that’s worth importing garbage to incinerate for power we don’t need.