Mobile asphalt plant being sold, 1.5 years after purchase

The government of Nova Scotia is putting its mobile asphalt plant up for sale, a year and a half after it went into operation.

The province's Transportation Department has brought in General Combustion Corp. to advertise and market the plant on its behalf beginning Monday.

General Combustion originally built and sold the plant to the previous NDP government in 2011 for $3.6 million.

A spokeswoman for the Transportation Department says the government is asking for $2.75 million.

Liberal Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan says his goal is to sell the plant quickly.

The plant went into operation in August 2012 and at the time, the government said it wanted to address unfair pricing and a lack of competition for project tenders in some rural areas.

That was part of the NDP's government-run paving program, which was discontinued in the fall.

A tender will be posted Thursday and close March 27.