Bradford and Calderdale councils have been jointly procuring a long-term waste management solution since 2008.
Final bids have been received from two consortia:
- Shanks and Scottish and Southern Energy.
- Skanska, Aecom and the Waste Recycling Group.
Both solutions offer high levels of recycling and landfill diversion as well as recovering energy from waste.
A detailed analysis and evaluation of the bids, against the robust evaluation criteria that was agreed by both councils in 2008 when the decision was taken to go out to tender, has now been completed.
Councillors at Calderdale Council will meet on 12 December and at Bradford Council on 13 December to discuss the outcome of the evaluation process and to confirm the appointment of the preferred bidder. The decision will be announced soon afterwards
The project will provide a multi-million pound investment in new facilities on Bowling Back Lane, Bradford.
This waste management process will offer a more sustainable alternative to depositing household waste in landfill sites which is not only costly but also harms the environment.
The project will also create enough electricity to power approximately 20,000 homes, thereby reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
The preferred bidder will carry out consultations before submitting a planning application next summer for the plant which could be fully operational by 2016.
Coun Andrew Thornton, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Environment and Sport, said: "Bradford and Calderdale are working together to develop an efficient and sustainable waste solution and to save money in the longer term.
"This project will secure a method of managing the council's waste for the next 25 years and beyond. This will lead to an increase in recycling rates and a high level of diversion from landfill."
Calderdale's Cabinet Member for Economy and Environment, Coun Barry Collins, said: "Ever rising landfill tax costs and the harm inflicted on the environment by sending our waste to landfill meant that we have no choice but to find a long-term solution to the waste management problem.
"This way forward ensures many benefits to both Councils and the people who live in Calderdale and Bradford while significantly reducing Council Tax payers' exposure to landfill tax rises.”
