Energy-from-waste specialist Wheelabrator has today (April 11) been named as the preferred bidder for a major waste treatment contract on behalf of five North Wales councils, worth an estimated 800 million.
The North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project (NWRWTP) a joint procurement by Flintshire county council, Conwy county borough council, Denbighshire county council, Gwynedd council and the Isle of Anglesey county council, was seeking a contractor to build and operate a waste treatment facility for 25 years.
The proposed facility will treat around 150,000 tonnes of residual household waste from the five counties per year, in line with the Welsh Governments target to recycle 70% of all waste by 2025.
Wheelabrator had been the only firm left in the running for the contract, after SITA UK withdrew from the procurement process in early 2013 (see letsrecycle.com story).
A statement released on behalf of the five councils today, read: The local government partnership responsible for finding a solution for managing the non-recyclable domestic waste of North Wales has appointed Wheelabrator Technologies Inc. as its preferred bidder.
All five local authorities within the partnership have individually approved the appointment. The North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project (NWRWTP) is a partnership between Gwynedd, the Isle of Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire County Councils, formed to divert non-recyclable household waste from landfill.
Negotiation
The statement added that Wheelabrators bid had been subject to a challenging and detailed negotiation process, and that the contractor had developed a proposal which has environmental benefit and offers value for money.
The contract is expected to be formally awarded to the US-owned firm in the summer, with the company to then submit a planning application for its proposed treatment facility later in the year.
Commenting on the decision, Gary Aguinaga, vice president of UK operations at Wheelabrator, said: Were proud to have been chosen for this exciting project to help North Wales manage its waste effectively and efficiently. Weve worked hard to demonstrate that were the right partner to be chosen and the selection process weve been through has been extremely rigorous.
We know that concerns have been expressed about elements of this project and we now need to earn peoples trust by communicating openly, showing how this proven technology works and explaining how tightly regulated our operations will be. The health and well-being of the community, our staff and the natural environment will be our priorities from day one.
Related Links
The news comes as a welcome boost to Wheelabrator, after it was announced this week that Norfolk council is to scrap its 500 million residual waste contract, which had originally been signed in February 2012 (see letsrecycle.com story). The contract had been awarded to a consortium comprising Wheelabrator and waste management firm Cory.
Register for free to comment