The contract encompasses the collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of refuse derived fuel (RDF) generated at the county council’s mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility in Horsham, operated by Biffa.
The partnership, which has held the contract since 2017, will continue to export the waste as RDF as part of an “interim arrangement”, until Britaniacrest’s 230,000 tonnes per year capacity energy from waste (EfW) plant comes online. The company has said it is aiming to have the plant online in 2026.
Britaniacrest was acquired by the French-owned Qair Group last year (see letsrecycle.com story).
‘Well-established’
Gareth Rollings, head of waste for West Sussex County Council, said: “We are delighted to have awarded the contract to WSBSP and look forward to continuing the well-established collaborative working already in place.
“Our MBT contract offers us future flexibility and given continuing uncertainty around the implementation of the consistency reforms, procuring a new RDF offtake contract to run co-terminus with the MBT contract was a logical and pragmatic step.
“Importantly, these arrangements are designed to ensure it will always be in our interest to reduce the amount of residual waste we process, whether through waste minimisation initiatives, our Recycling Centre network, kerbside recycling and, in due course, separate food processing.”
Contract
The council explained that the overall lifetime contract value of this arrangement is subject to potential changes depending on how waste volumes are affected by the anticipated implementation of the Government’s waste reforms outlined in the Environment Act 2021.
If waste reforms lead to significant shifts in waste volumes, the total contract value could reach up to £400 million. This underscores the significance and long-term impact of the partnership’s role in waste management within the county.
After conducting a market consultation in September 2021, the county council took into consideration feedback and decided to extend the existing West Sussex Seneca Britaniacrest Partnership RDF contract by a year. This extension was intended to allow sufficient time for the initiation of a new procurement process, ensuring a well-informed and competitive selection.
The procurement was launched in February (see letsrecycle.com story), and the new deal became effective this month.
Tender
By April 2023, the county council received three tenders from prospective companies vying for the opportunity to contribute to the county’s waste management goals.
The council said the chosen company’s “expertise” in handling RDF and energy recovery feedstock is expected to make a “significant contribution” to the reduction of waste sent to landfills while harnessing the potential of waste-to-energy technologies.
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