The turbine that was to provide electrical juice for the Tynes Bay Incinerator is still not working properly.

And Swiss contractor Von Roll Ltd., which was scheduled to leave Bermuda at the end of last year, remains on the Island as a result.

Works and Engineering Minister the Hon. Leonard Gibbons said last week that "protracted discussions'' were continuing with Von Roll, the electrical-mechanical contractor that built the massive $70-million waste plant.

"They've had problems with the tubes in it,'' Mr. Gibbons said. "We don't think it's a design problem,'' and "it isn't affecting the viability and the reliability of the actual burning.'' But the Ministry of Works & Engineering was counting on the turbine to use steam generated by the plant to provide its own electricity. Sales of excess electricity to the Bermuda Electric Light Company were also expected to offset costs.

"It's an expensive plant to run, and if we have to pay for electricity to run it, it's a negative instead of a positive,'' Mr. Gibbons said. "We're still talking.'' A Von Roll official said yesterday he would have to seek clearance before speaking to the Press.

"We're trying to fulfill our side of the contract,'' he said. "We don't want to prejudice any understanding with the client.'' Government incinerator manager Mr. Allan Hunt said the turbine had been working off and on and was generating electricity yesterday. "We still have some problems,'' Mr. Hunt said. "I wouldn't say that it's sorted out.'' Belco has yet to receive any electricity from Tynes Bay.

Otherwise, Mr. Gibbons said the incinerator was working well, burning about seven tons of waste an hour. Each day, ash produced by the incinerator was mixed with cement to produce 25 to 30 blocks which were trucked to the Airport landfill.

The waste drop-off area replacing the Palmetto Road drop-off in front of the Pembroke Dump was working well, he said. Minor changes had been made and some commercial vehicles were now permitted to use the drop-off.

Only horticultural waste was being accepted at the Pembroke Dump, and the Ministry had started a composting programme to turn the vegetation into topsoil.

Government wanted to turn the dump into a park over the next five to seven years and Mr. Gibbons said he hoped to put two to three feet of new topsoil over the 12.5-acre site.

Top priorities were to reclaim a community playing field on the edge of the dump and clean up other areas that were closest to Pembroke residences, he said.