Uruguay's US$500mn incinerator yet to be approved by departments' council

A long awaited project for a US$500mn incinerator able to cater to Uruguay's waste disposal needs has yet to be approved by the council that represents governments of the country's 19 departments. "We are going to officially present the project to the council in July," Diego Canepa, the national government's secretary, said. The council is going to decide whether or not "to approve a tender process backed by a trustee to which all 19 departments will contribute to come up with nationwide integral solution," of waste disposal, Canepa added. THE PROJECT The project, which embraces a waste-to-energy technology, forms part of a broader plan to update the national waste management system through new facilities - new sanitary landfills in the country's inlands are included too - and waste disposal practices. Total costs for the waste-to-energy facility should only reach some US$500mn, according to a preliminary study by public utility consultant Themelis Associates. Last November, the government carried out a data room session to team up with the private sector to improve the overall plan. Over 30 private firms expressed their interest. The country generates some 1.3Mt of waste materials every year - Montevideo alone accounts for 70% of it. Most of it gets dumped in sanitary landfills with no further treatment. A tender was expected in the first half of 2013, but eventually it did not come through.