Viridor has reported that construction at its Avonmouth Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) is making strong progress, and that it has already spent more than £1.5m within 20 miles of the Avonmouth site with contractors, including Tarmac and GAP Hire Solutions, now engaged on the site of the £252m project.
The Avonmouth ERF is part of the Pennon Group’s £1.5bn UK-wide investment in next-generation recovery and recycling facilities. Once operational, expected in 2020, the ERF will safely transform non-recyclable waste from households and businesses across the West of England into enough energy to power around 44,000 homes.
Viridor and its construction partners are committed to supporting the local economy around its developments and in July held a ‘Meet the Buyer’ event in Bristol for businesses to find out how they could become involved in the project. Over 30 interested companies attended and the first contracts have now been awarded.
Alan Cumming, Capital Projects Director for Viridor said: “As part of Viridor’s Energy Recovery Facility construction pipeline we have been clear that working with local businesses is at the heart of establishing ourselves as a responsible neighbour. It is not just during the construction phase of these projects that local suppliers can benefit, we will require support throughout the life of the facility too. The Avonmouth ERF is progressing well, the site is now established and we will continue foundation piling over the coming months.”
Steve Tomkins, Business Manager at the Tarmac depot in Avonmouth said: “We are delighted to be helping Viridor build a cutting-edge facility to divert waste away from landfill and generate energy here in Bristol. This is a complex job and requires different types of concrete at different stages of the development. Being able to work with a depot in Avonmouth means that we can be responsive to the needs of the project. This major contract also supports the Tarmac workforce and means that deliveries only have to travel a short distance to the site.”
Andy Feltham, Regional Operations Director for the South West at GAP Hire Solutions, added: “Being able to support the construction works at the Avonmouth ERF is fantastic for GAP Hire Solutions. We are able to support the range of requirements that Viridor’s contraction partners will have as the Energy Recovery Facility develops from a full range of power tools and non-operated plant equipment to non-mechanical equipment and portable welfare units. Learning about the project at the recent supply chain event helped us to pinpoint how we could support the construction project more effectively.”
