Bradford and Calderdale councils are set to name the preferred bidder for their long-term PFI-funded residual waste treatment contract by the end of 2011.
A report to be considered by Bradfords environment scrutiny committee tomorrow (October 18) outlines a timetable for the project which involves a preferred bidder being recommended to the councils joint committee on November 10.
Both Bradford councils executive and Calderdale councils cabinet would then be asked to make the final decision on a preferred bidder, most likely to special meetings held to coincide with the full council meetings each local authority has scheduled in December 2011.
The procurement for the 25-year deal, which would start in 2016, is a straight fight between two consortiums, each featuring a major UK waste management company.
As part of the 3SE consortium, Shanks has joined forces with Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) to propose the development of mechanical biological treatment and anaerobic digestion capacity. Solid recovered fuel (SRF) produced by this process would then be sent to a proposed energy generation plant which SSE plans to build at Ferrybridge near Wakefield, where it already operates a power plant.
The other bid, known as ETS, involves Waste Recycling Group as part of a consortium which also involves Californian engineering firm EarthTech and Swedish construction company Skanska. Their solution is based on the development of a materials recycling facility and energy-from-waste facility, both on the same site.
3SE and ETS were originally named as the sole remaining bidders for the contract in June 2010 (see letsrecycle.com story), but the report being considered tomorrow notes that dialogue with these two bidders did not close until August 1 2011, with final tenders being received on August 3.
Detailed proposals
The report provides full details of each bidders proposals which were not originally made available when the final shortlist was announced, with both their plans focused on developing infrastructure at a site at Bowling Back Lane in Bradford. The councils would deliver 193,000 tonnes-a-year of waste under the contract.
The 3SE bid would involve all waste being dried for 14 days, before it is passed through a refinement process to separate out dry recyclables including metals, plastics and glass, organic rich fines and a high calorific solid recovered fuel (SRF).
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The organic fines would be moved onto an anaerobic digestion facility on site, while the SRF would be sent to SSEs proposed Ferrybridge plant. SSE would have a 25-year contract to treat the SRF, but the report notes that the councils input would amount to less than 20% of the plants capacity.
Meanwhile, the ETS consortiums proposals involve residual waste first being sent through a MRF, which would recover cans, plastics, mixed papers and glass. It would then be burnt in an EfW facility at the plant. The report notes that this could have combined heat and power capability, but that is not part of the PFI project.
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