Four consortiums left vying for SWaMP2008 deal
Tuesday 12th January
The award of one of the largest waste management deals in Northern Ireland has moved a step closer after the list of contenders was reduced to just four.
The contract is valued at between £120 and £150 million and is set to cover the waste treatment needs of eight councils in the Southern region of Northern Ireland for between 25 and 40 years. The councils produce a combined 250,000 tonnes of residual waste each year.
The Southern Waste Management Partnership, known as SWaMP2008, had outlined a six bidder list in October 2009, with a strong emphasis on mechanical biological treatment and gasification as its preferred treatment technology.
The latest shortlist consists of:
- A consortium led by Greenstar and including Blackpool-based renewable energy firm BioGen Power, German MBT specialists Strabag Umweltenlagen and mechanical heat treatment company Orchid Environmental;
- A Biffa-led consortium, which also involves Irish waste management company Natural World Products and Spanish-owned AD and composting specialists Ros Roca Environmental;
- Northern Ireland Sustainable Solutions - a consortium between consultancy Cyril Sweett Investments, Spanish waste treatment company Urbaser and construction contractors John Sisk & Son;
- Quinn Group, the Irish owners of Quinn Glass, working with Italian environmental engineers and MBT technology providers Entsorga.
This means that a consortium of Irish waste management firm Brickkiln Waste and United Utilities; as well as a partnership between Irish investment company One51 and VT Environmental Engineering, both miss out.
Graham Byrne, chief officer of SWaMP2008, said: "This is a strong start for SWaMP2008. The procurement of such a significant project is a long and complex process and we are pleased to have hit our first major target.
"We have four strong contenders and we are looking forward to working with them to develop competitive solutions which will meet the future waste management needs of this region."
The final selection and appointment of a contractor will be made at the end of 2010, with SWaMP hopeful of beginning construction in early 2011.
The SWaMP grouping is made up of: Armagh city and district council; Banbridge district council; Cookstown district council; Craigavon borough council; Dungannon and South Tyrone borough council; Fermanagh district council; Newry and Mourne district council; and, Omagh district council.