Controversial incinerator up for ‘best project’ award

The energy from waste plant currently being built in Calvert is competing with schemes in Russia, Poland and Canada for best waste/energy/water project in the Partnership Awards 2014.

Bucks County Council, which is building the incinerator a cost of £200 million, said it was recognition for the ‘innovative financial approach used during procurement of the contract’ with private firm FCC Environment.

The awards are run by Partnerships Bulletin, P3 Bulletin and PPP Bulletin, a series of magazines and websites specialising in work between the public and private sector to procure, build and manage public infrastructure.

The winner will be announced at an awards evening in London on June 5, and Buckinghamshire’s rivals for the prize includes, among others: CPC Pipeline Expansion Project, Russia; Evan Thomas Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities Upgrade, Canada; and Poznan Energy-from-Waste Project, Poland. A number of other UK projects have also been shortlisted.

FCC Environment won a 30 year contract to design, build, and operate the facility which is capable of processing 292,500 tonnes of waste per annum and generating 22 Megawatts of power, equivalent to the needs of 36,000 homes.

The incinerator is scheduled to open in February 2016.

Savings of approximately £150m are projected over the 30 years of the contract if all goes to plan.

Netta Glover, deputy cabinet member for the environment at the council, said: “We are delighted at being shortlisted, especially since we are up against competition from across the globe.

“We appreciate that the EfW project is still in its very early days but this is a recognition of all the hard work that has been done by our officers in setting it up.”