Acciona-led consortium to build and operate US$200 million waste-to-energy project in Scotland

A multinational consortium led by construction company Acciona has been selected as the preferred bidder to build and operate a waste-to-energy plant in the East Tullos area of Aberdeen, located in north-east Scotland.

The GBP150 million (US$198.0 million) plant will take non-recyclable waste from Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, and Moray Councils and burn it cleanly and completely conforming to the latest strict European standards for emissions. The energy produced will be sent to a district heating network.

Acciona will lead the project using its own in-house construction skills to build the plant, and experienced waste company Indaver will then operate the plant for a 20-year contract period. Indaver currently owns and operates EfW facilities in Ireland, Belgium and Netherlands.

The selection brings to an end a two-year procurement process. The three councils decided to work together in 2015 to secure a long-term waste management solution for the north-east region with the tender notice issued early 2017. Planning permission was granted in October 2016.

A final decision on whether to proceed with the project will be taken individually by the three councils this month. Each Council will be asked to approve the recommendation to award and the inter-authority agreement which defines how the Councils will work together. The contract for the project will then be signed shortly after.

The development of the plant coincides with new legislation that bans Scottish councils from putting any biodegradable municipal waste into landfill from 1 January 2021. The plant is due to commence operations in 2022.