OREANDA-NEWS. ITOCHU Corporation together with SITA UK, subsidiary of SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, and Sembcorp Utilities (UK) has been selected as preferred bidder for a resource recovery contract worth GBP 1.18 billion (approximately 180 billion yen) over 30 years with the Merseyside Recycling and Waste Authority (“MRWA”). ITOCHU has a 20 percent stake in the consortium.

This is the third waste management contract for ITOCHU in the UK, following participation of South Tyne & Wear Waste Management Partnership, a contract executed in April 2011, and the Integrated Waste Management PFI Contract in Cornwall Council, a contract executed in March 2013.

The contract is to manage 450,000 tonnes of residual household waste each year for over 30 years. It includes the design, build, finance and operation of a rail loading waste transfer station and a new energy-from-waste (“EfW”), which will generate electricity for the equivalent of 63,000 households.

Waste generated from five neighboring municipalities constituting MRWA (Liverpool, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens, and Wirral) and Halton will be diverted from landfill site to the new EfW facility at Teesside in the northeastern UK by rail. This is clean power generation without reliance on fossil fuels and reduce carbon emission by an estimated 130,000 tonnes per year, compared to landfilling an equivalent amount of waste.

The UK is seeking to reduce greenhouse gases and the amount of waste to be landfilled, and consequently plans to carry out similar waste management contract. ITOCHU plans to contribute to global environment though participating in environment friendly, energy from waste projects.