No one has submitted a bid to operate the new waste-to-energy facility in Magħtab for the first 20 years, according to a Wasteserv statement issued on Friday.

An outline proposal for the project, which has faced heavy objections from neighbouring councils and environmental NGOs, was greenlighted by the planning authority earlier this month. The environment watchdog gave its approval last year. 

In May of 2020, Wasteserv had said it expected the Magħtab facility to cost up to €190 million to build and a further €200 million to run over two decades, while warning potential bidders they had six weeks to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire related to their proposal.

On Friday it said excavation works are expected to be completed this year. In the meantime, a tender process will kickoff for the technology provider that will operate the plant for 20 years.

A fresh preliminary qualification questionnaire will have to be issued as none of the three shortlisted consortia that participated in the first competitive dialogue procedure submitted a final bid, it said.

"The waste-to-energy plant will provide an essential environmental service as it will convert waste that would otherwise go to the landfill into green energy. This will allow the country to move away from decades of predominant reliance on landfills," it said in a statement.

This facility is part of what has been dubbed the Ecohive Complex.

The planning application and tenders for a new recycling plant and a new organic processing plant will also be submitted shortly, Wasteserv said.

Meanwhile, the preparatory work on a new skip management facility is at a very advanced stage, and a multi-material recovery facility will also be ready in a few months.