Govt selects preferred bidder for wastewater treatment plant

The Gibraltar Government on Thursday announced that ECO Waters Ltd have been selected as the preferred bidder for the long-awaited wastewater treatment plant.

The public tender for the project was first announced last June, and bidders were requested to submit plans for the design, construction, financing and operation of the urban wastewater treatment plant.

The lack of a wastewater treatment plant has been the subject of controversy, even leading to infraction proceedings by the European Union.

Although this project has been on the table since 2014, progress was halted due to a number of challenges.

“Gibraltar’s use of sea water for sanitary purposes creates challenges that are not present in other wastewater treatment plants given the salinity of the sewage effluent and the changes in salinity experienced during storm events,” a spokesman for No.6 Convent Place said.

“Discussions will now proceed with the preferred bidder to deal with some technical and commercial matters that require further details.”

“The aim is to conclude these discussions as soon as possible so as to be able to make a tender award.”

The plant will be located on the Brewery Crusher site at Europa Point.

The site will be cleared in anticipation of the project proceeding and some advance works will be carried out in preparation of its construction, the Government spokesman said.

Minister for Environment Dr John Cortes said: “This is a very important and positive step forward for Gibraltar.”

“All proposals have been subjected to a rigorous environmental assessment process, and I am confident that ECO Waters Ltd will be capable in delivering a wastewater plant that is environmentally conscious.”