Florida County Commissions Waste-To-Energy Plant

The Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County (Florida) has agreed to have Babcock & Wilcox (B&W) Co. build a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in West Palm Beach.

Charlotte, N.C.-based B&W, along with its consortium partner, Houston-based KBR Inc., received a $668 million contract for the design and construction of a 95-megawatt renewable energy facility. The partners have been doing engineering and design work, and will do the procurement and construction for the WTE power plant and provide environmental control equipment for the county solid waste authority, the companies said in a news release.

The new WTE facility will be located adjacent to the county’s existing WTE operation. It will be capable of processing 3,000 tons of municipal solid waste per day to produce electricity and reduce the amount of waste sent to the county's landfill.

The plant is scheduled to begin commercial operation by spring 2015.