The Mining Remediation Authority (MRA), a UK non-departmental public body operating under the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, has awarded a £203.1 million contract for the operations and maintenance of mine water treatment schemes and legacy assets across Britain.
The contract was awarded to Alpheus Environmental Ltd, headquartered in Huntingdon, England, following an open procurement procedure that attracted three bids.
The MRA is responsible for managing the environmental legacy of historical coal and metal mining across the United Kingdom. Among its core functions, the authority currently operates more than 80 mine water treatment schemes, processing over 112 billion litres of water annually. Its total treatment capacity reaches 220 billion litres per year.
Through these operations, the MRA reports having protected and improved more than 350 kilometres of rivers, while preventing close to 4,000 tonnes per year of iron solids and other pollutants from entering watercourses and aquifers. The authority also notes that 89% of iron solid waste generated by treatment processes was recycled or reused in the most recent reporting period.
The contract covers operations across multiple regions of England, Wales and Scotland, reflecting the geographic spread of the country's former coal and metal mining areas.
The award was evaluated on two equally weighted criteria: technical ability and experience, and price, each accounting for 50% of the total score. No small or medium-sized enterprises submitted tenders for the contract.
The MRA forms part of the broader UK effort to address environmental liabilities from the nation's industrial mining past, contributing to government priorities around environmental remediation, water quality and the long-term sustainability of affected communities and ecosystems.
