Council hails waste treatment facility for Wakefield
A MAJOR waste treatment plant is to be built in Wakefield – part funded by the Green Investment Bank – after Shanks Group won a contract with the city’s council valued at an estimated £750m.
The 25 year PFI contract will see waste management business Shanks construct the facility at South Kirkby to treat and recycle waste.
The contract will see approximately 250 people recruited to work on construction of the new facilities and a further 60 permanent positions created.
Green energy will be created from the household waste, of which 230,000 tonnes will be processed each year.
The plans will help to increase the local authority’s landfill diversion rate towards 90%.
The contract has been funded by the UK Green Investment Bank and a group of leading international banks: Barclays, BayernLB from Germany and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation from Japan.
Some of the waste will be transformed into fuel which will be further processed at Ferrybridge Power Station. Other materials will be recycled.
The remaining organic waste will be fed into an anaerobic digestion plant, where it will be converted into biogas for renewable energy generation. This will both power the plant and export energy back to the grid.
In addition to the various technologies on site, Shanks will also take over a network of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), transfer stations and bring sites within the Wakefield district, as well as building a visitors centre at the South Kirkby site.
Peter Dilnot, chief executive of Shanks Group, said: “We are delighted to have signed this contract with Wakefield Council and look forward to working with the authority and local residents to increase their diversion from landfill.
“We are excited that the UK Green Investment Bank has chosen this project as one of its first major investments, which will see Shanks draw on experience from across our group to deliver a genuinely sustainable solution.”
Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council, said: “We are very pleased that this agreement has been signed with Shanks Group plc to manage the district’s waste and recycling. It is excellent news for the district, bringing jobs and investment, as well as improving a service which is always high on the public’s agenda.”
Joanne Roney, chief executive of Wakefield Council, added: “It has been a long journey and at times challenging, but throughout the negotiations we have never lost sight of the need for additional finance to deliver a waste management system for the future.”
A team of waste sector specialist from law firm Walker Morris advised Wakefield Council
The Walker Morris team provided advice on procurement and environmental issues affecting project scoping and procurement strategy.
Partner and head of commercial, David Kilduff, has advised the Council from the inception of the project and has been supported by partners Chris Woodthorpe (real estate), Ian Akitt (finance) and Ben Sheppard (commercial).
