By Tina Comeau
THE VANGUARD
www.thevanguard.ca
The Yarmouth Regional Hospital is one of seven regionals hospital that will be converting to natural gas to improve air quality and reduce heating costs.
Converted hospitals will be able to switch between natural gas and furnace oil, whichever is most cost effective at any given time, the province says.
Fraser Mooney, a spokesperson for South West Health, says it is a too early to give an estimate on how much converting to natural gas will reduce heating costs.
“But we are very optimistic this will be a positive move,” he says.
“It will likely take a few years to plan and complete the conversion, so we don't have solid numbers yet about how much of a cost savings this will be,” adds Mooney. “But natural gas is cheaper and cleaner and we are excited to be a part of this opportunity.”
The government says it will invest $9.7 million with projected savings to be in the millions once all seven hospitals have been fully converted.
The Yarmouth Hospital now uses bunker C which is a cheaper grade of fuel oil. But Mooney says since the unexpected closure of the Imperial Oil refinery in Dartmouth last year the district has had to truck in its fuel oil in from Quebec, which has added to the cost.
“So we have already begun the process to convert our system to use a lighter fuel oil. This means we will have a more reliable supply, and wont have to truck it in from Quebec like we do with bunker C,” Mooney explains. “The light fuel oil also burns cleaner than bunker C, which means it is better for the environment.”
Mooney says the conversion to a natural gas system fits in very well with the work the district is currently doing to convert to light oil.
“With natural gas, we will still need an alternative or back-up fuel source. Since we have been in talks with the provincial government about this, our conversion to light oil already includes plans for natural gas,” he says.
In addition to Yarmouth, the other regional hospitals that will convert to natural gas are Valley Regional in Kentville, South Shore Regional in Bridgewater, Colchester Regional in Truro, Aberdeen Regional in New Glasgow, St. Martha's Regional in Antigonish, and Cape Breton Regional in Sydney.
Four hospitals are already using natural gas. These are Cumberland Health Centre in Amherst, Dartmouth General, Halifax Infirmary, and the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax.
"By burning natural gas, our hospitals will be using a cleaner source of energy that is better for the environment and creates savings that can be put directly into patient care, which is where Nova Scotians want to see their money invested," says Leo Glavine, Minister of Health and Wellness.
Tony Kiritsis, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Wellness, says they do not have a breakdown of cost-savings by facility.
"But we know that the savings are considerable based on other facilities that have previously converted," he says. "Savings depend on a number of factors from the cost of the gas at the time of purchase to the volume required. What we do know from other sites that are on natural gas, there is less pollution, there are substantial cost savings and reduced maintenance costs."
He says it is also too early to discuss a timeline for the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. The design stage must be completed first and that will start within the next year.