A Bermudian entrepreneur is looking to give something back to his country with the launch of a new sustainable energy business which converts waste into power. If successful with its test model of Bermuda, Oliver Binns, CEO of the Bermuda Environmental Energy Sustainable Group (BEESG), plans to roll out the service across the Caribbean.Mr Binns, who is in the process of setting up the company’s headquarters on the top floor of 141 Front Street, has put forward proposals to Government to build a generation plant on the site of Tynes Bay capable of producing 18 to 20 MegaWatts of electricity per day - enough to power thousands of homes - using a technology called Stabilat.The technology, which is designed by Herhof GmbH and already used in a number of European cities, works by removing metals, batteries, glass and other recyclables from the waste which can be shipped overseas and contaminants as well as producing agricultural-grade fresh water and fuel from the residue.Mr Binns said that the facility, which would also include a sewage treatment plant, could be up and running within four years and would provide construction jobs while 104 staff were needed to run the plant, which would entail Tynes Bay staff being offered the chance to be retrained for new positions there.He said that the transition period from Tynes Bay being decommissioned to the new plant kicking into action would be smooth with minimum disruption to householders’ electricity supplies, having teamed up with the Ascendant Group for the provision of the power source.Mr Binns aims to present his plans to Cabinet soon and secure a memorandum of understanding in order to press ahead and get feedback from businesses, organisations and the public through town hall meetings in each parish and conduct research and laboratory tests to analyse the waste content and contamination levels as well as the technology’s environmental impact. Once the application receives planning approval, the plant could be fully operational in just under four years.He is also seeking to be granted a 20-year contract and fives acres of land adjacent to Tynes Bay to build the new site which would be entirely funded by an unnamed Fortune 100 company which will be unveiled on completion of the new plant.“We wanted to develop the Bermuda project first,” he explained. “And we have been in contact with other Caribbean countries already to bring this system to them.“If we get it right here we believe we can clean up the rest of the Caribbean.”Mr Binns said he had some grand designs for his new office space that would utilise some of the building’s green strengths and plans to move in at the end of July.He said that developer Sir John Swan who constructed the building had seen the company’s vision from the start and had been very supportive in helping set up its offices.Having already identified five Bermudian engineers working in the electrical, mechanical, civil, environmental and chemical fields, Mr Binns plans to hire a chief operating officer, an environmental lawyer, a special projects manager and an IT person to run the office.As the project is implemented throughout the Caribbean, the intention is to bring in operatives from other islands for training, while Bermuda-based staff will be sent to Germany to see the technology first hand.From its lofty perch, the new office on the east side of the building will be fitted out with a meeting and board room and offers panoramic views of Hamilton Harbour on one side and the city and Fort Hamilton on the other.“One of the reasons why we chose this place is because it speaks to what we want to achieve as a business,” said Mr Binns.“It is important that the team members have all the tools to do the best job and I firmly believe that our office will offer that when it is completed.”Jack Ward, president of Bermuda Environmental Consulting Ltd, the environmental consultants for BEESG, and a director of BEESG, said that the mechanical biological treatment plant was the key to the process and it would open up a number of possibilities, including an educational aspect with members of the public able to come in and see it up close in operation.“It’s an exciting prospect - it seems that it is the kind of technology that is very well suited to a small island environment,” he said.Mr Binns, whose company has also committed to carry out the environmental remediation of Pembroke Marsh, was inspired by seeing the power outages and water shortage caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans first hand and wanted to come up with a solution using proven technology in collaboration with other parties and in everyone’s better interests.“Our goal is to be able to produce 20 percent of what Bermuda needs in terms of clean renewable fuels,” he said.Having started out at hotel college in Bermuda, Mr Binns moved to the US in the 1980s to take up employment with the Hilton and Marriott chain in Atlanta, prior to moving to California where he worked on the Queen Mary as well as stints at Mircos, the Sierra National Development Company and Promise Keepers and then branched out to do his own consultancy work.For more information about BEESG contact Oliver Binns at 705-2337, email oebinns[AT]beesg.com or visit the website at www.beesg.com