Florida's Energy-from-Waste Unit Meets New EPA Performance Standards

Fort Myers, Florida [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Developer of large-scale energy-from-waste and renewable energy projects, Covanta Holding Corporation announced it has begun operating the first energy-from-waste unit built under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's New Source Performance Standards.

The new unit allows Florida's Lee County to convert an additional 636 tons of municipal waste every day into an additional 18 megawatts of electricity. Prior to the $120-million expansion, the facility had processed more than 4 million tons of waste in two 600-ton per day combustion units and generated enough electricity to power 26,000 homes.

"Rising energy costs and environmental concerns underscore the logic for sustainable waste management solutions such as the Lee County Resource Recovery facility," said Anthony Orlando, President and Chief Executive Officer of Covanta. "We are excited about its increased ability to generate clean, renewable energy and add electricity to the nation's power grid."

Five years ago, Lee County decided to expand the facility to meet the increased waste disposal needs of its growing community. The County approved the new combustion unit, which increases the facility's capacity to convert municipal waste into renewable energy by over 50 percent.