Suez is to begin further repairs on the roof of its Energy Recovery Centre (ERC) in Cornwall in May, after it was first damaged by high winds in 2017.
The top sheet of the roof came loose after strong winds, and insulation beneath was blown away
While the cost of the works haven’t been disclosed, Suez said they will be borne by the company and not passed on to the council, and the operation of the plant will not be affected.
Damages to the roof of the plant caused by “high winds” first occurred in 2017 on two separate occasions.
However after being repaired, the roof was damaged again in February 2020.
The most recent damage saw the top sheet of the roof come loose, and this allowed the insulation material beneath to be blown away.
The inner liner however was not damaged and the plant was still covered. Suez then secured the damaged roof and removed the debris.
Phases
A month after the latest damage, Suez conducted “root cause” investigations, but this “took longer than expected” due to the pandemic.
Suez determined that given “complex contractual situation”, as well as the complex nature of the damages, identifying the root cause of this most recent roof damage was a “long, complicated process”.
Phase one of the repairs eventually began in November and were completed on schedule in January 2021. This consisted of putting temporary measures in place in order to better “weatherproof” the roof to avoid any further damages.
Phase two of the repairs will begin in May and will see contractors ensure that the conclusions from root cause investigations are incorporated, and also that the repairs are conducted in the most favourable weather conditions.
A spokesperson for Suez said: “‘Phase 1 of the works to repair storm damage to the roof of the Cornwall energy recovery centre has been completed on schedule and our contractors are preparing to carry out the second and final phase of repair works due to start in May 2021. The operation of the energy recovery centre is unaffected by the works and it continues to process Cornwall’s residual household waste.”
They added that no waste has been sent to landfill during the repairs.
Previous damage
The first instance of damage, on the 23 February 2017, saw high winds damage the roof of the EfW plant building above the tipping hall, while the plant was still under construction.
The roof once repairs were made in 2017, before it was damaged again
The ongoing construction of the roof meant that the wind “unzipped” the cladding panels, and the resulting loss of the top sheet meant that the insulating material was also blown free in that section of the roof. The liner sheet however was undamaged and remained in place.
Repair works to replace the existing damaged support bars and halters was completed on the 23 March 2017.
However, high winds on the 27 December 2017 damaged the roof again, above the boiler hall.
In this instance, the “unzipping” of the top sheet resulted in an area approximately 6m wide and 15m long becoming loose.
This section of the roof was repaired between 8 May 2018 and 26 June 2018.
Contract
The facility operates as part of the integrated waste management contract with Cornwall council, which Suez signed in 2006.
The contract runs until 2039 and provides services to manage Cornwall’s household waste and recycling.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
