May 14 - “Same Sterile Criticism From Government” Says GSD
The GSD has quickly replied in the latest series of exchanges on the planned LNG Power Station. The Opposition says that whoever writes Government press releases “either did not see the program in which the Leader of the Opposition answered questions from a panel of journalists or is happy to mislead people with the same sterile line that ‘Feetham doesn’t know what he is talking about’”. The party says that, just like with the issues surrounding public finances, where financial experts are expressing the same concerns as Mr Feetham, expert reports will demonstrate that Mr Feetham has been right all along: an LNG bunkering installation so close to densely populated areas is not safe.
The GSD then goes on to repeat what its position on the matter:
“If by the time of the election, the GSLP-Liberal Government has commenced the construction of their intended dual LNG and Diesel power station and substantial progress has been made, a GSD Government will not move it to Lathbury Barracks because it would not wish, in the public interest, to cause substantial delays and increase in costs.
“However, if a GSD Government is forced to complete a power station at the North Mole, it will not be run on LNG but on diesel as the GSD has made clear on many occasions. This may require some modification to the initial plans, but we would not allow an LNG supplied power station in that area because it is not possible to store LNG in that area for supply to the power station in both an economical and safe way.
“It is also not true that the Opposition does not know where the Government intends to site the LNG bunkering terminals. There are three sites that are being considered. One in the Detached Mole and two on the North Mole. The Government should stop lying to people and be honest.
“What is surprising is that the Government should now say that its assessments are “generic”.
“The Opposition appear to be more advanced in its own assessment of the risk than the Government is and the public will be able to see that for themselves when we publish the material we rely upon. For the Government to suggest, after many power cuts, that their intended reports are merely generic is an indictment of their policy.
“Had the Government continued with the GSD power station at Lathbury Barracks as it was committed to do in its manifesto, Gibraltar would have sorted out these problems by now. Instead they have mismanaged the issue of power supply and the people of Gibraltar are now being told, four years after this Government was elected, that their reports are just generic! The Government should have had reports in place before they made the controversial decision to scrap our plans and build an LNG power station at the North Mole.”
{fcomment}
