Tar Ponds Incinerator Dismantling

An incinerator built in Sydney in the early 1990s to destroy contaminated Tar Ponds' sediments will be decommissioned and dismantled, Transportation and Public Works Minister Ron Russell said today, March 4.

Despite efforts to keep the facility in operating condition, some components have deteriorated.

"The incinerator has been idle for more than 10 years and bringing it up to current standards would cost more than $10 million," said Mr. Russell. "This fact, along with the results of last year's consultation on cleanup options, led us to conclude that continuing to maintain this facility makes little sense."

In response to requests from the Joint Action Group and the Government of Canada dating back to 1996, the province had committed to keeping all cleanup options open until public consultations had concluded. Mr. Russell stressed that the decision to decommission the incinerator does not rule out any cleanup method -- just the use of the existing incinerator.

During workbook sessions sponsored by the Joint Action Group last year, many area residents indicated they did not wish to see the incinerator reactivated.

Premier John Hamm said this week that the method to be used in Tar Ponds and Coke Ovens cleanup will be announced "in the very near future."

The incinerator dismantling project will take about six months to complete and will create more than 10,000 person hours of employment for local workers.

Mr. Russell said every effort will be made to find buyers for all or some of the incinerator components, and components that cannot be sold will be scrapped.