Two French and one Swiss company interested in construction

A delegation from the Zagreb City Administration, led by the Chief of the Economy Department, Ladislav Prežigalo, visited Paris this week, where they toured the Parisian incinerators. After Zagreb’s leaders finally managed to obtain a positive opinion from the Ministry of Environment for the construction of the incinerator, they are still waiting for the location permit, after which they can announce the tender. According to Prežigalo’s estimates, this could be achieved in the first quarter of this year.

In the meantime, the city leaders took the opportunity to visit the Parisian incinerators and invited French companies to respond to the tender. The meeting with French companies in Paris showed that competition will be fierce after the tender is announced, as the largest French and even global companies have expressed interest in investing in the Zagreb incinerator. The French company CNIM (Constructions Industrielles de la Mediterrane), the Swiss company Von Roll Inova, and the French company Suez have shown interest in the construction of the incinerator.

CNIM is a company with an annual total revenue of 615 million euros. The company has built more than twenty incinerators to date. In addition to building incinerators, CNIM constructs catamarans and high-speed escalators. On behalf of CNIM, Prežigalo was hosted by the CEO Philippe Soulie, who emphasized that his company is extremely hopeful of winning the tender and having the opportunity to build the Zagreb waste incinerator.

– Building an incinerator is by no means an easy task, neither technologically nor administratively. We faced significant resistance from citizens and environmental organizations who believed that the incinerator was dangerous to the environment. However, through open communication, we managed to convince them that every technological step in waste incineration is verified and that the smallest possible amount of toxic particles and dioxins is released into the air. Furthermore, the EU imposes very strict directives on the quantities of particles that may be released into the air, and we must adhere to that – emphasized Soulie.

He added that their technology, known as grill incineration, is one hundred percent verified, and they are ready to share their experiences with Zagreb’s leaders. Soulie stressed that CNIM is ready to invest in the Zagreb incinerator project and to accept all financing methods that the City of Zagreb decides upon. The Zagreb delegation also visited the Azalys incinerator near Paris, which was built by CNIM. Another company that has shown exceptional interest is the Swiss company Von Roll Inova, which is a direct competitor to CNIM. Von Roll Inova is building the Isseane incinerator, one of the largest waste incinerators in France, located in the very center of Paris next to the Seine River. This incinerator is valued at 500 million euros, with a capacity of 450,000 tons of waste per year, and is expected to be completed this year. Part of this incinerator’s boiler house, with all boilers, is being constructed by our company Đuro Đaković Holding.

– As a subcontractor for Von Roll Inova, our company signed a contract in 2004 for the supply of materials, assembly, and the complete construction and commissioning of the boiler house for municipal waste incineration. This contract is worth 13.5 million euros, and our company is obligated to build and commission the facility within three years – says Tomislav Janković from Đaković. Representatives of Von Roll Inova claim that they have the best know-how in the world, which is crucial for such projects, and that this is the main reason why Zagreb’s leaders should choose them. One of the interested companies for the tender for the construction of the Zagreb incinerator is the globally recognized company Suez. This is an energy company, and part of Suez Environment deals with waste management. The company Suez generates 11 billion euros in revenue annually just from waste management. In addition to meetings with representatives of Suez, the Zagreb delegation visited the Creteil incinerator managed by Suez.

– Our company provides innovative solutions for managing various services in energy and offers waste management services. We incinerate hazardous waste in the Czech Republic and recycle waste in Warsaw and Hungary. We also have several hospital waste incinerators. Our experience proves that we are more than capable of building the Zagreb incinerator. We are ready to invest in Croatia and accept all methods by which the Zagreb incinerator will be financed. An additional incentive and security for investment is that Croatia is a future EU member. Therefore, let Croatia utilize EU financial assistance for the construction of the incinerator through funds – said Frederic Aguesse from Suez Environment.

Suez has already been collaborating with Croatia through the French consulting company Safege regarding the “Sava River” project, as well as with the ministries of the sea and finance. Suez leaders emphasized that they recognize the Croatian market, although small and affected by war, as a potential market and hope for closer cooperation. According to Prežigalo, in addition to inviting the mentioned companies to the tender, the goal of the visit was for members of the City Administration, representatives of environmental organizations, and engineers to familiarize themselves with the functioning of incinerators, which will greatly assist them in the construction of the incinerator in Žitnjak. (AMR)