Covanta's Dublin WTE facility pulls in processing contracts

Covanta, Morristown, New Jersey, announced new waste supply agreements for the Dublin (Ireland) waste-to-energy (WTE) facility that put 90 percent of the facility's waste processing capacity under contract. The latest agreements with leading waste collection companies in Ireland vary in duration with an average term of nine years.

"We are very pleased to have locked up the majority of the waste supply needed for the Dublin project as we gear up for facility commissioning in 2017," says Covanta President and CEO Stephen J. Jones. "After securing 60 percent of the waste earlier this year, we held a tender for the remaining waste and saw very strong local market demand for the facility's capacity. The strong interest from waste collectors is recognition of the cost competitive solution the facility will provide the Irish market, in addition to the significant environmental benefits."

The Dublin WTE project is a public private partnership (PPP) between Covanta and Dublin City Council (acting on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities) that will provide the Dublin region with a long-term sustainable and environmentally superior waste management solution. The facility will divert postrecycled waste from landfills and reduce exportation, allowing Dublin to become locally self-sufficient in managing waste, consistent with regional, national and European Union (EU) waste policies.

When complete, the Dublin facility will process approximately 600,000 metric tons of waste annually and will generate clean energy to supply 80,000 homes, reducing Ireland's reliance on imported fossil fuel. The facility has also been designed with technology and infrastructure to provide enough heat to meet the equivalent needs of over 50,000 homes if a district heating system is implemented in the future.

Construction of the facility continues to progress on schedule and is approximately 70 percent complete. Commercial operations will commence in late 2017.