Thalia Waste Management took over the site last year from Amey. Thalia was set up by Amey’s parent company, Ferrovial, to focus exclusively on the waste treatment business. Amey sold its shares to Ferrovial in September 2022, in a move which was approved by the council.
After winning the £225 million contact in 20215, Amey began building a gasifier in 2017. The technology was later switched to traditional moving grate. Commissioning was due to be completed in summer of 2019 but has been pushed back a number of times since then.
Now, in an update given to letsrecycle.com, a spokesperson for council said: “The Energy Recovery Facility has been mechanically completed and is currently operational and undergoing performance and availability testing, as part of its acceptance process. This final testing stage is hoped to be completed this coming Autumn.
“The ERF is operated by Thalia Waste Management on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council and is part of a wider service enabling the council to meet its target of recycling more than 55% and diverting from landfill more than 90% of the council’s waste while generating renewable electricity for up to 5000 homes.”
Waste sector
Reports that Amey planned to exit the waste sector began circulating in 2019. The company, a subsidiary of the Spanish infrastructure services company Ferrovial, sold six of its waste contracts to Urbaser in January 2022 (see letsrecycle.com story).
In October 2022, Ferrovial sold Amey to an asset management fund for £400 million, but this did not include its waste treatment division.
However, this division was transferred to Thalia Waste Management. This includes the Allerton Waste Recovery Park in North Yorkshire, the Milton Keynes Waste Recovery Park and its treatment contract with Cambridgeshire.
Subscribe for free