Preferred bidder for Derry recycling plant chosen
A consortium of two waste management companies and a construction firm has been chosen as the preferred bidder to construct and run a new £750 million recycling plant in Maydown, Derry.
Northern Ireland’s North West Region Waste Management Group (NWRWMG) Joint Committee recommended the consortium of local waste management firm Brickkiln, construction firm Sisk and waste management company Shanks, as the preferred bidder to the NWRWMG’s seven constituent councils: Derry City, Strabane, Limavady, Coleraine, Ballymoney, Magherafelt and Moyle yesterday (20 December).
Planning permission for the 120,000-tonne plant has already been granted, and outlines that residual waste collected from the seven Northern Irish councils will be sorted (and recyclables purportedly removed for processing), before the remaining waste undergoes mechanical biological treatment (MBT) and passes through a gasification plant to produce renewable energy.
It is expected to supply 30 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity to the National Grid, enough to support the energy needs of 6,000 homes for a year and help the group reach a recycling target of 60 per cent.
‘Environmentally friendly’ treatment
NWRWMG’s Vice Chairman Councillor Michael Coyle said: “By 2020 the NWRWMG must ensure that less than 35 per cent of biodegradable 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… 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 per cent.”
Coyle added: “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 six per cent 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.”
If NWRWMG’s constituent councils accept the recommendation of the NWRWMG Joint Committee, construction work is likely to begin in 2013 (providing 200 construction jobs), with the facilities (run by 40 full-time staff) becoming operational in 2015.
‘Best practice’
Councillor Evelyn Robinson, NWRWMG’s Chair, said: “[The] 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, adding that the technology represented ‘best practice’.
Read more about the Derry facility.
