The $250 million project is the first large scale, commercial EtW plant to be approved in North America in at least 15 years, the company said.
Covanta will design, build and operate the facility, which will be located in the municipality of Clarington, Ontario, through its subsidiary, the Convanta Durham York Renewable Energy Limited Partnership.
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with operations beginning in 2014.
The facility will only process municipally collected household waste left over after regions of Durham and York complete aggressive waste diversion efforts, including recycling and composting.
When operating at design capacity, the facility will be capable of producing 17.5 MWof clean renewable energy, enough to power approximately 10,000 homes.
In the future, steam generated at the facility could be utilized for district heating in an industrial park adjacent to the facility, heating the equivalent of 2,200 homes. The facility will also recover ferrous and non-ferrous metals for recycling.
“We are delighted to receive the go-ahead on the construction of the Durham York Energy Centre,” said Anthony J. Orlando, president and chief executive officer of Covanta Energy. “The state-of-the-art facility will provide a long-term solution for sustainably managing the Regions’ waste and set an industry standard for operations.”
“The partnership of Durham and York and their decision to build this facility reinforces the important role that energy-from-waste plays in sustainable waste management efforts and in creating new reliable, renewable energy sources,” Orlando said.
The project received a certificate of approval from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment on 28 June 2011 that covers all operational requirements and conditions.
Covanta said the emissions control technology at the Durham York facility will establish it as one of the cleanest energy-from-waste facilities in the world.
For additional information:
