Abu Dhabi’s Centre for Waste Management has received technical bids for the contract to manage the city’s solid waste.

The bidders are:

• Averda (Lebanon/UAE)
• Dulsco (UAE)
• Emirates Environmental Technology (UAE)
• Lavajet (UAE)
• MBM Dallah (UAE)
• Veolia (France)
• Trashco (UAE)
• Kharafi National (Kuwait)
• Ramky Group (India)

The successful bidder will replace the consortium led by local/Kuwaiti Emirates Utilities Company Holding (EUCH) that was awarded an estimated AED500m ($136 million) contract for the operation and maintenance of Abu Dhabi’s municipal and solid waste treatment and disposal in 2006 (MEED 24:9:10).

The new contract covers the development and operation of waste handling facilities in Abu Dhabi city and the emirate’s Western Region, also known as Al-Gharbia.

The new infrastructure involves the design and build of at least five transfer and bulking stations capable of receiving 6,900 tonnes a day (t/d) of waste, the design and build of a centralised treatment facility capable of transferring 5,000 t/d, the design and build of two sanitary landfill sites big enough to last at least three to five years at Ruwais and Al-Dhafra.

The contract also includes a 10-year operation and maintenance agreement for the facilities once they are completed, although some bidders have requested that this be extended to 15 years.

The winning bidder will also have to assist the Centre of Waste Management with closing down a number of existing dumpsites. The centre wants to close the Al-Dhafra dumpsite, which located 72 kilometres south west of Abu Dhabi city and is the only active waste disposal in the greater Abu Dhabi area.

It also wants to close dumpsites at Sila, Mirfa, Madinat Zayed, Ruwais and Liwa in Al-Gharbia.

According to sources close to the project, the EUCH stopped working on the project earlier following a dispute with the client. EUCH is a joint venture of the local Al-Qudra Holding and Kuwait’s Kharafi Group. The other consortium members included Italy’s IMA and the local Aqua.

The project consultant is Germany’s Fichtner.