Dublin City Council has selected four European waste-management companies to tender for the contract to build a municipal waste incinerator on the Poolbeg Peninsula in Dublin Bay.
The decision, announced yesterday, indicates that senior council officials have opted for a mass-burn incinerator, with a capacity to deal with up to 500,000 tonnes of non-recyclable waste per annum.
The four selected tenderers for a contract to design, build, finance and operate the waste-to-energy plant will now be expected to submit detailed bids for the multi-million euro project by the end of this year.
At that stage, the city council may invite a "best and final offer" from two bidders "to enable the selection of the better consortium to provide the service, including obtaining the necessary statutory approvals."
Thirteen international consortiums expressed an interest in the project, though none was asked to price it. What determined the shortlist was a comprehensive evaluation of their ability, track record and resources.
"The four shortlisted consortia are by far the most experienced waste-to-energy plant operators in Europe, with plants in London, Paris, Copenhagen and Birmingham, among other cities," the council said.
The four include Elsam Ireland Ltd, a subsidiary of the largest Danish electric power company, with over 30 years' experience in operating nine waste incinerators.
Onyx Aurora Ltd, a UK subsidiary of a French group operating more than 100 plants worldwide, also made the shortlist. It is building three new plants in the UK. The other two are Sotec GmbH, a German company with 30 years' experience of waste-to-energy plants in Germany and Madeira, and Tiru SA, one of the largest French operators.
A spokesman for Herhof Environmental Ltd, which proposed a smaller plant for Poolbeg and similarly-sized plants in Fingal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and south Dublin, expressed dismay at not making the shortlist.
"It is obvious now that the authorities have opted for a single mass-burn incinerator for the Dublin area, which means that all the waste will be trucked to Poolbeg," he said. "This does not represent the best environmental solution." He said it was doubtful that the Poolbeg plant would be approved.
