Swire SITA Waste Services Ltd. today announced that it has signed a contract with the County Government of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, for the operation and maintenance of a new waste-to-energy incineration plant in Ren Wu for a term of 20 years.

Awarded following a competitive tender, this is the first contract in Asia under which a specialist private sector company has been entrusted with the management of an incinerator for a duration as long as 20 years.

Built by the Taiwanese Government at a cost of over NTD5 billion, the Ren Wu plant features state-of-the-art pollution control equipment and power generation systems. It will dispose of up to 1,350 tonnes of waste daily from the community's homes, factories and commercial premises. Converting heat from the incineration of waste, Swire SITA will feed approximately 27 megawatts of electricity to Taiwan Power Company, the electricity utility.

The opening of the Ren Wu plant represents the Taiwanese Government's latest step in its campaign to prevent the illegal or polluting disposal of wastes and to provide sophisticated and effective alternative measures.

This is Swire SITA's first contract in Taiwan and the company looks forward to other similar co-operation agreements in the future.

Swire SITA Waste Services is a fully-integrated waste management company, engaged in all aspects of solid waste collection and treatment in Hong Kong and Macau. It is a 50/50 joint venture between Swire Pacific Ltd. and the SITA Group of France.