Norway’s second largest city, Bergen, will become home to the world’s largest automated vacuum waste collection system following a competitive tender process that saw Envac win the contract to install its technology in a deal worth €20m (183m NOK).
The decision is the result of what the Managing Director at BIR Nett AS, which will oversee the project’s delivery, describes as an “outstanding proposal” from the global pioneers of vacuum waste collection technology. It also follows Envac’s success over the last 12 months since the system in the development’s first phase became operational.
The move will help the City of Bergen, known as the ‘gateway to the fjords’, become one of the world’s leading lights in sustainable development and provide a waste collection system that will transport 30 tonnes of waste each day using airflow alone. The system will be responsible for City of Bergen’s residential and commercial waste.
On welcoming the world’s largest vacuum waste collection system to Norway, Terje Strøm, Managing Director at BIR Nett AS, comments: “Our priority is to deliver a Bergen that is not only greener, more pleasant and more hygienic for those who inhabit the area now, but also for our children and our children’s children. By using Envac, we have future-proofed the City of Bergen and made it a more resilient, sustainable, and innovative place to live and work. This is the future for cities all over the world and we are proud that Bergen is one of the forerunners.”
The underground pipe system, which will be 7,500 metres long on completion, will feed into two waste collection stations and use vacuum technology to transport waste at up to 70km/h from the waste inlets located throughout the site.
Joakim Karlsson, Chief Executive at Envac, adds: “This is one of Envac’s largest contracts in almost six decades since the company first opened its doors. As populations become denser and the amount of waste generated continues to rise, it is becoming increasingly clear that technologies such as Envac are set to play a larger role in helping societies become cleaner, greener and safer. We’re delighted to have won the contract to deliver the world’s largest system, proud to play a role in enhancing the City of Bergen and excited about the future of waste collection in modern urban environments.”
Detailed planning has already begun, with work on the second phase expected to begin later this year. The development is expected to take 10 years to complete.
