Asbestos removal underway at Summerside power plant as upgrades proceed

Asbestos removal underway at Summerside generation station

SUMMERSIDE -

The City of Summerside is in the process of removing hazardous asbestos at the Summerside Electric Power Plant building in order to clear the way for replacement of the heating system.

The city is hiring a contractor to do the work and tenders for the project closed Thursday afternoon. 

The heating system is being replaced with four new electric furnaces, which are Heat for Less Now products. The products help maximize wind energy by using bricks to store heat created from wind energy for use during peak demand times.

"This program's working so well we wanted to continue with that in the power plant," said Rob Steele, electrical operations supervisor with the City of Summerside. 

Time to replace system

The new system will heat the whole building. 

"Having more of these units with heat storage already placed in them can lower the peak load of Summerside which therefore will help keep our diesel engines from running," said Steele. 

Steele said the existing system is beyond life its expectancy and maintenance is getting costly so it's time to replace it. 

"And unfortunately in 1960 and 1963 asbestos was used on the elbow sections of the piping insulation and of course that must be removed for us to proceed," said Steele.  

Steele said the city doesn't know how much the project will cost yet as the tenders just closed Thursday afternoon. He said the city plans to announce the cost along with the successful bidder who will do the asbestos removal April 6. 

The city said there won't be any interruption of power or services during the upgrades. Work is expected to start May 1 and take about three weeks to finish. 

 

Related News

Alberta renewable electricity

Alberta power grid operator prepares to accept green energy bids

EDMONTON - The operator of Alberta's electricity grid will start taking bids at the end of this month from companies interested in generating more renewable power.

The provincial government wants to add 5,000 megawatts of renewable electricity by 2030.

The renewables, including wind and solar power, will replace coal-fired power plants, which will be shutting down as part of the province's strategy to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy Minister Marg McCuaig-Boyd announced Friday the first competition will be for 400 megawatts, which is enough to power about 170,000 houses.

"We're known as the energy hub of Canada, and make no mistake, green energy is a…

READ MORE
 Labrador power flowing through Quebec

Labrador power flowing through Quebec

READ MORE

belledune station

Turning seawater into electricity: NB Power's untested idea for Belledune

READ MORE

senegal power plant

African Development Bank examines Senegal coal-fired power plant

READ MORE

Three Mile Island control room

Three Mile Island nuclear plant will close in 2019, owner says

READ MORE