Aylesford Newsprint is "extremely disappointed" with the Waste Resources Action Programmes (WRAP) decision to change the preferred bidder status in favour of Shotton Paper Company in its competition for support for newsprint reprocessing capacity (PrintWeek, 27 July 2001).

The support was originally awarded last November to Aylesford, which was in talks with WRAP to finalise the contract.

"Following the changes Aylesford made to its proposal at the beginning of this year, the board was concerned that the new capacity wouldnt be delivered in the timescale of the competition," said WRAP director of policy and communications, Ray Georgeson.

But Aylesford company secretary Donald Charlesworth said: "We think ours was a much more ambitious project. We havent changed our minds. We would still love to do the project."

Georgeson said WRAP couldnt discuss the changes Aylesford made due to confidentiality agreements.

The objectives call for an extra 321,000 tonnes of recovered newspapers and magazines to be recycled each year by 2004.

UPM-Kymmene will invest 78m (E127m) in a new recycled fibre pulp facility at its Shotton plant in Deeside, North Wales, which will convert the plant to 100% recycled fibre.

The mill will require an extra 320,000 tonnes a year of recovered papers to achieve the 620,000 tonnes of recovered fibre required by WRAP. It will be commissioned in September 2003, with full production expected by April 2004.

Story by Andy Scott