黑洞社区

Interserve is running at least three months behind on a 拢154m waste-to-energy power plant in Glasgow, the client, energy giant Viridor, has admitted.

The plant 鈥� which will generate enough energy to power 22,000 homes 鈥� was originally planned to complete this spring, but Viridor told 黑洞社区 it now will not start to receive waste deliveries until the summer and will not be fully operational until December.

Viridor blamed the delay on 鈥渦nforeseen geological formations鈥� that put back the sub-structure works and 鈥済lobal economic conditions affecting three separate subcontractors鈥�.

The confirmation comes after multiple sources close to the project told 黑洞社区 the scheme was running months behind schedule.

The scheme is thought to be one of three loss-making waste-to-energy projects that impacted on Interserve鈥檚 2015 financial results, as flagged by the firm to investors in its results announcement in February and in a trading update last November.

Viridor has a 25-year contract from Glasgow council to design, build, finance and operate the facility.

The news comes as the project faces further industrial action next week over pay rates for some workers. Union Unite is in dispute with Interserve over claims some workers are being paid less than newer workers on the site. Unite members took strike action earlier this week and were also scheduled to strike on Tuesday and Wednesday next week as 黑洞社区 went to press.

The union claims that when construction work started, scaffolders and labourers were employed on CIJC agreed pay rates, but that Interserve is now employing newer workers on higher rates.

Stephen Deans, an official at Unite, said: 鈥淚nterserve were clear. They said they priced the job on the [CIJC] rates they were paying and would not be paying more.鈥�

Interserve declined to comment.