Shanks consortium in frame for 500m NI deal

A group of seven councils in Northern Ireland has moved one step closer to awarding one of Northern Irelands largest waste management contracts.

The joint committee of the North West Region Waste Management Group (NWRWMG) has recommended that a consortium involving waste management firm Shanks, Derry-based civil engineering company Brickkiln and construction company Sisk is named as the preferred bidder for a 500m deal to deliver residual waste treatment facilities.

In November 2010, the consortium was shortlisted for the work alongside Greenstar Holdings Ltd (see letsrecycle.com story). At that point, United Utilities rather than Shanks was involved in the consortium, but Shanks later acquired these assets.

Now the NWRWMGs constituent councils will receive and decide upon the recommendation. If approved, the group expects the contract could be signed in early 2013, with construction starting on a mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and gasification facility in the next 12-15 months. The group hopes that the new facilities would then come on line in 2015.

The Shanks/Bricckiln/Sisk consortium already has planning permission to develop an MBT and gasification plant at Brickkilns Enviropark at Electra Road in Maydown, Derry. The site would handle 120,000 tonnes of waste a year and produce 60 Giga Watt hours of renewable electricity to the grid.

Speaking yesterday (December 19) councillor Evelyn Robinson, NWRWMGs chair, said: Todays decision brings us another step closer to finalising one of the largest and most complicated public procurement exercises in Northern Ireland. It has the potential to revolutionise and revitalise the way we handle our waste.

The technology being proposed, a combination of mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and gasification, represents best practice. The facilities will create jobs, provide value-for-money to ratepayers, ensure that the region avoids potentially punishing EU fines for failing to divert waste from landfill and safeguard our environment.

MBT

The group said that MBT, wherein recyclables are extracted from residual waste and it is subjected to biological treatment to reduce its stability, would allow the councils to maximise their recycling rates while gasification would produce renewable energy.

NWRWMGs vice chairman, Cllr. Michael Coyle, said; By 2020 the NWRWMG must ensure that less than 35% of bio-degradable municipal waste goes to landfill. Failure to do so could lead to EU infraction fines which will ultimately have to be met by ratepayers.

The solution recommended today will enable local Councils to meet those targets and treat non-recyclable waste in a more environmentally friendly manner. The new facilities will complement our focus on the 3Rs of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle and help us reach a recycling target of 60%.

It is no longer an option to keep sending so much of our rubbish to landfill. Apart from the harmful greenhouse gases which it creates, it is a waste of a renewable energy source. MBT will boost recycling rates by 6% while gasification will help Northern Ireland reach its renewable energy targets and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

This is an important stage in the decision-making process, but it is not the final decision. Over the next few weeks local Councils will have the opportunity to assess and review the recommendation. If all parties are satisfied we can move towards officially awarding the contract in early 2013.

The progress towards completing the procurement of new waste infrastructure in the North West of Northern Ireland comes after another group of local authorities in the country SWAMP2008 – abandoned its 500m procurement of new residual waste treatment facilities after three of the last four bidders pulled out (see letsrecycle.com story).

At the time, Northern Irelands environment minister Alex Attwood said he was determined for the other two remaining waste procurements in Northern Ireland NWRWMG and arc21 to be a success, however, arc21 has also been rocked by the withdrawal of one of its final two bidders, SITA UK (see letsrecycle.com story).