Partnerships is recognizing EPCOR and the Government of British Columbia foran innovative partnership that is ending a century of heavy metal pollution inB.C.'s Howe Sound.
The Council presented the partners with the Gold Award forInfrastructure for the Britannia Mine Water Treatment facility. Located onB.C.'s Sea-to-Sky Highway, this water treatment plant is now capturing andremoving thousands of tonnes of heavy metal contaminants from the historicBritannia Mine, including 166,000 kilograms of copper per year - theequivalent of 70 million pennies.
A micro-turbine driven by the mine's continual run-off will generate electricity for the plant, enhancing the project's overall level ofsustainability and protecting the Province from future energy costincreases.
The overall net present value of the treatment facility is $27.2 million. Over the 20-year contract period, this project is expected to save B.C.
taxpayers more than $10 million had the facility been delivered solely by the Province.
"Britannia Mine had been a major source of pollution for decades," saidB.C. Agriculture and Lands Minister Pat Bell. "The successful clean-upundertaken by the Province, EPCOR and its team of partners furthers ourgovernment's goal of being a world leader in sustainable environmentalmanagement. The project team amply demonstrated the value of public privatepartnerships by delivering this facility on time and on budget, helpingprotect tax payers from cost increases so common in today's businessenvironment."
Accountability is a central component of this partnership. During designand construction, EPCOR and its partners assumed the risks for cost overruns,schedule delays and costs related to water treatment technology and plantoperation. EPCOR faced penalties if the plant was not built or operationalon-time. Performance-based payments are made to EPCOR based on the volume ofwater processed and the plant's compliance with environmental regulations.Performance payments did not begin until the plant was in operation.
"This award recognizes EPCOR's ability to work effectively with bothpublic and private sector partners to develop solutions that arecost-effective, and benefit communities and the environment," said Dr. StephenStanley, EPCOR Senior Vice President. "I would like to thank all of thepartners who brought their commitment and expertise to this project."
EPCOR financed the facility and led an expert team during the design andconstruction of the $15.5 million facility. This team included LockerbieStanley Inc., Stantec Consulting Ltd., Canadian Environmental andMetallurgical Inc., and BioteQ. As part of the agreement, EPCOR will operatethe facility for 20 years.
