The 24 month development period to commission the new liquid bulk Tank Farm in the port of Ngqura at the end of 2020 is on track following the traditional sod-turning earlier this year.
Transnet National Port Authority (TNPA) says that with environmental compliance and the enhancement of the Nelson Mandela Bay economy as top priorities, various contracts have already been awarded - approximately 80% to local suppliers - and work is in full swing.
The 20 hectare Port of Ngqura Tank Farm site has been cleared of vegetation in preparation for bulk earthworks, platform preparation has started in the centre of the site and the main access road from the N2 to the Tank Farm site has been completed.
The new Tank Farm in the Port of Ngqura will make way for an exciting new development in the Port of PE, which will demand the decommissioning of the existing liquid bulk facilities in the port.
After the commissioning of the Ngqura facility, the PE Tank Farm operators will wind down operations over a 4-month period, whereafter the decommissioning and rehabilitation will commence.
TNPA and these operators are working closely to finalise a decommissioning and remediation plan, to be approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs. According to the Waste Act, the current operators are responsible for the demolition and rehabilitation of the land.
The rehabilitated land is to be handed back to TNPA in a condition that complies with the relevant legislation and Transnet's Sustainable Development Strategy for further development. It is estimated that the decommissioning and rehabilitation will take from 36 to 48 months.
