The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

The company at the centre of the Renward Wells Letter of Intent (LOI) controversy yesterday said it had not given up on its $650 million waste-to-energy solution for the New Providence landfill, and pledged to market it to the next administration.

Jean-Paul ( JP) Michielsen, Stellar Waste To Energy’s chief executive, told Tribune Business yesterday that the landfill’s woes, and the relatively high cost of electricity, would have both been addressed if the Government had approved the project.

He added that after close to four years of “back and forth” between the Government and Stellar, the Christie administration was at the end of its mandate and had still to solve the New Providence landfill.

“If we would have been able to move ahead from the day that Renward Wells signed that LOI, if we would have been given access to do the remaining studies, it would have taken six months after that date to do the studies and come back with the actual planning,” Mr Michielsen said.

“We would have been building six months later. The worse case scenario was a 24-months turnaround. This plant would have been running today. Everyone would have been paying less for their electricity. The landfill would have been on its way to becoming a properly sanitised and managed landfill.”

Stellar was thrust into the spotlight three years ago by the controversy that erupted over the signing of itsnow-expired LOI by the former Ministry of Works parliamentary secretary, Mr Wells.

The saga ultimately led to his dismissal from Government. Mr Wells, an engineer by profession, subsequently admitted in Parliament that he had signed the LOI with Stellar Energy in order to allow the company “to carry out studies” free of charge to present to Cabinet.

Stellar later alleged that the LOI was leaked as part of “a conspiracy” against it, with “clear intent at the Government level to sabotage the project”.

The company and its attorneys, Ian Cargill & Company, have launched a  $727.364 million Supreme Court claim for damages over the affair against the Government, attorney Allgernon Allen and his firm, Allen, Allen & Company,  as well as Frank Forbes and his company, Sigma Holdings/Management.

Mr Michielsen said yesterday that  up to last week, meetings between the company’s attorneys and the “highest levels” of government had been held.

“We will continue to promote this issue  as we move forward with the next administration, whoever might emerge victorious,” he added.

Mr Michielsen took a shot at the Renew Bahamas deal and the recent landfill tender, all done in a bid to addressing the landfill’s management and remediation.

“The Renew Bahamas deal was supposed to remedy the landfill but, after just a short period in place, they decided to pack their bags as well,” he added.  “The fires have continued. When the RFP for the privatisation of BEC was issued, for which we paid the $25,000, a large portion of it had to do with renewables. They recently issued an RFP and give people a week to come up with a [landfill] plan. That makes no sense.”

Kenred Dorsett, minister of the environment and housing, recentlty told Tribune Business that two bids have been submitted for the New Providence landfill’s management and remediation. 

One of the bidders is the Bahamian Waste Resources Development Group (WRDG) and its partner, Providence Advisors chief, Kenwood Kerr. The other is understood to be foreign.

As reported by Tribune Business on Monday, the Government has committed to resolving the New Providence landfill’s woes by year-end December 2017 as part of its Heads of Agreement with Baha Mar’s new owner.

The Christie administration’s April 25, 2017, Heads of Agreement with Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE)stipulates that any failure by the Government to resolve the landfill’s problems by that date will be treated as “a force majeure” event. Private sector groups were given eight days to submit bids to take over the New Providence landfill’s management and remediation.