The deal was approved by Buckinghamshire's cabinet in a meeting earlier today. Under the plans, 210,000 tonnes-a-year of the county's residual household waste would be burnt in the incinerator which Covanta plans to build at Rookery Pit, in neighbouring Bedfordshire.
I am confident that the EfW technology proposed by Covanta is right for the job and that this deal is in the best interests of our council tax payers
Cllr Martin Tett, Buckinghamshire county council
The facility is set to have an initial capacity of 390,000 tonnes-a-year but could eventually treat up to 585,000 tonnes-a-year of residual waste, including material from Bedfordshire itself – making it one of the largest waste incinerators in the UK.
If built, the facility is set to produce up to 65MW of electricity – of which 55MW will be for export to the National Grid, as well as heat that could be exported to nearby developments.
Covanta has not yet submitted a planning application for the Rookery Pit facility, but says that it plans to be by the end of the year.
Following today's decision, Buckinghamshire's cabinet member for planning, environment and development, councillor Martin Tett, said: “The quality of both bids was high and the decision was not easy. I'd like to thank WRG for their hard work in putting their bid together.
He added: “I am confident that the EfW technology proposed by Covanta is right for the job and that this deal is in the best interests of our council tax payers. Value for money was also an important consideration throughout. We need efficiency, effectiveness and economy from the winning bidder. But, we also need to consider another ‘E' – environment.
“Although any decision to process waste involves having to transport it from homes to the processing plant, waste is a renewable resource that when treated properly can produce significant levels of energy and reduce our reliance on dirty, fossil-fuelled power. We can achieve a net environmental gain overall.”
Controversy
Covanta's proposals for the Rookery Pit EfW facility have already aroused controversy, with the leader of Central Bedfordshire council claiming that they jeopardise its own plans to build a 250,000 tonne-a-year capacity EfW plant, also using combined heat and power (CHP) technology, on the same site (see letsrecycle.com story).
However, due to the power-generating capacity of Covanta's proposed plant exceeding 50MW, the planning application for the facility, will not be submitted to the council and will instead go to the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
Buckinghamshire county council has said that it now expects to finalise the contract with Covanta by spring 2010 after the two parties have “fine-tuned” the details of the deal.
The decision to name the firm as preferred bidder must also negotiate an initial three-day call-in period at the council when any county council member can ask for the decision to be called in, and a longer 10 day period where any of the other 11 original bidders for the contract can challenge the decision.
Covanta
Today's decision was welcomed by Covanta, with the company's UK managing director, Malcolm Chilton saying: “Covanta Energy is pleased to have been selected as Buckinghamshire county council's preferred bidder to treat Buckinghamshire's residual household waste. As part of our value for money solution to treat the waste, we will build an Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility and three waste transfer stations.
“We have recently completed our first round of public consultation over our plans for an EfW facility and the feedback we have received will form part of our planning application, which is due to be submitted to the Department of Energy and Climate Change in October/November this year.
“If successful, the plant would be operational by 2014. We are also in the process of establishing a Community Liaison Panel in the local area to provide continued information and consultation throughout the planning application and beyond,” he added.
If built, the facility is expected to be up-and-running by 2014.
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