Veolia Environmental Services (UK) Ltd (Veolia ES UK), a subsidiary of France-headed global water, energy and waste management services provider Veolia Group has announced that it has been awarded a six-year, GBP102 million (≈ EUR 113.3 million) contract by Norfolk County Council to manage the treatment of 180 000 tonnes-per-annum (tpa) of waste.
Moving away from landfill is a key part of the waste and resources strategy and treatment of Norfolk’s residual waste via energy recovery. Commencing in March 2021, the new contract will result in the transformation of residual waste into energy, helping the county achieve zero waste to landfill status, reduce carbon, and save its taxpayers GBP2 million (≈ EUR 2.2 million) annually.
This contract is another significant step as we progress to zero landfills and a carbon zero future in the UK. We are delighted by this decision by Norfolk County Council, and value the opportunity to work in partnership to advance sustainability by making significant carbon and financial savings for residents, Gavin Graveson, Veolia’s Executive Vice-President, UK & Ireland, said.
The new contract will also boost recycling with metals and aggregate recovered in the process. Treatment will primarily be based at the new state-of-the-art Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) at Rookery South, near Stewartby in Bedfordshire, which will generate electricity for 112 000 homes and create fifty jobs.
This new contract will deliver additional recycling and send zero waste direct to landfill, all while delivering better value for money for our residents. More than that, by using rubbish as a fuel for power generation it will help us achieve significant carbon savings and marks an important step in delivering a greener Norfolk, said Councilor Andy Grant Norfolk County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste.
Veolia currently operates a network of ten Energy Recovery Facilities in the UK, which turn non-recyclable waste into green electricity and generate enough power for nearly half a million homes.
According to Veolia, this forms an important part of the green infrastructure to deliver the electricity needed to meet current demands and supports future increasing demands needed to reach the carbon zero target such as electric vehicles (EVs), the Internet of Things (IoT), and electric heating.
