Amsterdam city council has put its troubled waste incinerator Afval Energie Bedrijf up for sale by auction.

The AEB, which was touted as the most innovative waste incinerator complex in the country in 2006 and which also provides city heating for 35,000 households, has been plagued by problems in recent years.

In 2019, four of the six incinerators had to be closed down for a time because of poor maintenance, and the city had to pump in €35m to stop the plant going bust.

Council finance chief Victor Everhardt said that both the council and the company are now ready for the sale and that current market conditions allow the auction to go ahead.

‘AEB has made good progress over the past year, both operationally and financially,’ he said.

The company will be sold through a controlled auction in the second half of the year and potential buyers will have to fulfill a number of conditions.

In particular, the city is looking for a new owner with a long-term perspective, given the plant’s role in processing waste and supplying heat to private homes, the council said in a statement.

Earlier this year, the European Commission approved a restructuring plan for the AEB, clearing the way for the sale.