Operations

Water
Before the year 2020, the Water Operations team based at Red Hill, St Pauls, did not have a suitable workshop to carry out their operational duties, especially in inclement weather. The workshop had passed its lifespan and was in very bad condition.

Now, the Water Operations team has a new prefabricated Workshop that provides adequate working and storage facilities and a vehicle port for operational vehicles and equipment. The landscape surrounding the Depot has been improved so that large vehicles can move in and out of the storage area with ease, and adequate road surfacing was laid to prevent soil erosion and allow easy vehicle access in the rainy season.

In addition, a prefabricated workshop and storage building was constructed on a separate site at Red Hill for the Sewage Operations team who are currently based at Ladder Hill. Benefits of this move include more efficient workflow and longer lifespan of equipment.

Sewerage
The sewage infrastructure in Rupert's was critically in need of upgrading to bring it up to a satisfactory standard of reliability and safety. Effluent was flowing directly into the run and eventually out to the Bay, having a direct impact on the area and receiving environment.

Work started on the construction of a Sewage Treatment Plant near the Old Fisheries Building in early 2021 and is now nearing commissioning stage. Once commissioned, consumers in Ruperts can be connected to the new sewerage system.

For more information on how to apply for a sewerage connection, click here.

Electricity Generation
At present approximately 75% of the islands electricity is generated from burning fossil fuel (diesel). We have 6 generators which have a total capacity of 7,600kW. Once these generators have run for 27,000 hours (equivalent to just over 3 years), it is a requirement that they go undergo a complete service which means dismantling the engines down to the engine block to assess all components and replace parts where needed.

In September 2023 engineers from Barloworld, along with Connect staff performed a complete overhaul of two of the larger generators at the Power Station and at the same time, training was carried out to further staff development in this aspect of work.

What's happening now?
Plans are in place to move onto servicing and improving the renewable energy systems. Taking this approach to our maintenance reduces the risk of load shedding and allows us to efficiently maintain our generation systems.