The government’s Environmental Assessment Board has concluded setting the terms of reference for an environmental impact assessment of the ReGen project, which will replace the George Town landfill.
Meanwhile, government announced that financing for the project was still being finalised.
The 271-page document, which outlines the guidelines and scope of the assessment, was signed off following a period of public consultation which began earlier this year, and included three public meetings.
The ReGen project, a public-private partnership between the Dart-led DECCO consortium and the government, was formalised in March this year.
Previous timeline ‘ambitious, at best’
The Office of the Premier, meanwhile, stated in a press release today that a previously set timeline for reaching financial close on the project was “at best, an ambitious target”.
The Opposition had criticised the PACT government for failing to provide an update on the project, when the September deadline had passed.
“The crossing of the 30 September without satisfying the conditions precedent does not mean that the project is dead, but it does mean that Government has not rushed blindly to sign off on the project,” the release stated, adding that the premier “assures the people of the Cayman Islands that the project will continue”.
“[T]his Government recognizes the need to have an integrated solid waste management system that delivers a long-term, sustainable solution for all three of our beloved Cayman Islands,” Premier Wayne Panton said in the release.
“I also want to assure everyone that we will be striving to deliver an integrated solid waste management system that achieves the appropriate balance across the sustainable development triple bottom lines of people, planet, and profits – balancing social, environmental, and economic benefits.”
Environmental assessment terms finalised
Once the environmental impact assessment is carried out, a draft environmental statement with the results of those studies will be written and published, followed by another 21 days of public consultation next year, which will include a public meeting.
Speaking earlier today, 8 Oct., during a panel exploring the project’s potential impact on air quality in Cayman at the annual Healthcare Conference, Dart’s environmental social governance programme manager Richard McAree confirmed the finalisation of the terms of reference for the EIA.
At the conference, McAree described the ReGen project as an “opportunity to really modernise Cayman’s waste management system”.
The proposed project, previously known as the Integrated Solid Waste Management System, or ISWMS, will be built on a 34-acre area at – and immediately adjacent to – the existing landfill in George Town.
The plan includes a waste-to-energy plant where trash will be incinerated and converted into electricity, which would be sold to Caribbean Utilities Company; as well as facilities for processing green waste, construction and demolition waste, scrap metal and medical waste. There will also be a household waste recycling centre, and a new landfill for waste that cannot be processed, recycled or burnt.
As was mentioned at the three public meetings, one of the projected outcomes of the ReGen facility will be to divert about 9 megawatts of electricity from fossil fuels “using household trash to power more than 2,000 homes and businesses in Grand Cayman”, McAree said.
He added that the remediation of the landfill would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 23,000 tons annually, roughly the equivalent of removing 5,000 cars from the road every year.
While the financial close of the project is still pending, McAree said the public-private partnership team was “working diligently” on that, as well as the remediation of the landfill and the environment impact assessment.
“Today, I’m delighted to share that, following the public consultation held earlier this year, the terms of reference for the ReGen infrastructure EIA has been finalised,” he said. “This is a very important milestone in the EIA process.
“The terms of reference will really act as a roadmap for the baseline environmental assessment studies on air quality, emissions, hydrology, noise and vibration, marine ecology and terrestrial ecology – all important environment aspects of the project for the island.”
Project shifts to premier’s portfolio
The government release also sets out that the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency, headed by the premier, now carries responsibility for the ReGen project.
“Given the national importance of the ReGen project and its intended benefits of creating a more sustainable waste management system for the Cayman Islands, I believe the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency is well-positioned to take the project forward and ensure the intended sustainability benefits. Additionally, Ministry Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn has considerable experience with the project,” Panton said.
Cameron Graham, Dart’s president of development delivery and infrastructure, said in the release, “ReGen will deliver a number of sustainability benefits for the country, from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to improving recycling performance and diverting up to 95% of our waste from being landfilled.”
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