The FTSE 250 company has been awarded the contract for a period of five years, with a possible extension to a seven-year maximum.
The Cumbrian Collaboration includes Sellafield Limited, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), Direct Rail Services, Low Level Waste Repository Limited and International Nuclear Services. The new contract will cover over 500 buildings across a range of sites in the UK, with major activity in Sellafield, Cumbria and Cheshire and has an estimated total value of GB pound 200 million over the term of the contract.
MITIE will start the enlarged integrated FM contract in January 2012.
Over 500 people will be employed as part of the contract and the services provided will include: facilities management, building maintenance, security, cleaning, waste management, catering and other FM and energy services.
This award builds on MITIE’s 11-year relationship with both Sellafield Limited and the NDA and is said to be “a testament to the quality of service and strong Health and Safety record” that has been delivered by the MITIE team.
The contract was tendered through the Government Procurement Service (formerly the Office of Government and Commerce Buying Solutions) Facilities Management Framework Agreement.
Speaking about the contract, Ruby McGregor-Smith (chief executive of MITIE Group plc) said: “This is another excellent contract award for MITIE. We’re delighted to be developing our strategic relationship with the Cumbrian Collaboration. We have an extensive track record of supporting them in the management of their estate and look forward to working with them to provide world class outsourced and energy services in the coming years.”
Waste wood powers new Plymouth energy centre
A new energy centre which will convert 40,000 tonnes of waste wood into renewable heat and power each year and reduce carbon emissions is being created in Plymouth.
The centre is the brainchild of MITIE’s Asset Management business, O-Gen UK, and the Una Group. The companies have come together to form a new energy services company, (ESCo) O-Gen Plymtrek, which is exploring opportunities to supply the energy from the plant to a local business.
The plant will work by converting waste wood destined for landfill to a gas fuel which will be combusted in a boiler to create steam. This steam will drive a turbine to produce the energy and heat. It will generate around 26,000 MWh of electricity per annum – enough to power 6,200 homes or to make 866,666 cups of tea.
The process also generates heat, saving around 10,000 MWh of gas and produces 1,836 tonnes of carbon each year which can be used for a variety of things including gas cleaning, water filtration and cooker hood filters.
The plant will reduce CO2 emissions by around16,500 tonnes a year compared to grid supply.
Bringing new jobs to the community
Mike Tivey, managing director of MITIE’s Asset Management business, said: “We’re delighted to be developing this innovative energy plant which will bring new jobs to the local community in Plymouth. Generating energy from waste material is an important part of the fast-growing decentralised energy market, which provides organisations and communities with secure, locally generated power and heat for the future.”
The South West Regional Development Agency (SWERDA) has given a grant of GB pound 525,000 to the new energy centre in recognition of the impact it will have on the local economy by creating jobs. The plant will create 23 local jobs once it is operational next summer and 50 for contractors in the construction phase.
David Pike, managing diirector O-Gen UK, added: “We’re delighted to work with MITIE in the development and expansion of our timber resource recovery business. This plant represents the first of a series of combined heat and power plants currently under discussion with MITIE across the South West region.”
MITIE’s Asset Management business will operate and maintain the plant, which uses technology provided by O-Gen UK, during a ten-year contract. The technology is eligible for the enhanced Government’s Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) as an advanced thermal conversion technology.
The UK produces 4.5 million tonnes of waste wood a year1. It’s estimated that recovering energy from just two million tonnes of waste wood would generate 2,600 GWh electricity and save 1.15 m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions2.
References
1WRAP, 2009
2DEFRA’s ‘Waste Wood as a Biomass Fuel’ report, April 2008