Kent County strikes long-term deal for WTE plant operation

Vicinity Energy, a Boston-based decarbonization leader with an extensive portfolio of district energy systems, will partner with Kent County Department of Public Works to operate a waste-to-energy (WTE) facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Vicinity and Kent County have entered into a long-term service agreement that ensures the facility will operate safely and efficiently. The partnership will save Kent County in operating costs annually while reinforcing its commitment to quality service, the environment and the local workforce.

“For more than 30 years, waste-to-energy has been a key part of Kent County’s integrated waste management system, and it allows our community to responsibly and reliably dispose of solid waste while producing local energy and reducing the amount of waste going into landfills,” Kent County Department of Public Works Director Dar Baas says. “We’re continuing to invest in the waste-to-energy facility, and this new partnership with Vicinity will ensure it operates safely and efficiently for years to come.”

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Vicinity has welcomed the existing plant employees to its team and will hire more team members. This partnership marks a milestone in Vicinity’s commitment to sustainability and brings new jobs and services to West Michigan.

“We are proud to serve as the new operator of this critical piece of Kent County’s waste management system and look forward to continuing to work with the community well into the future,” Vicinity Energy Deputy CEO and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Hagerty says. “In addition to ensuring a smooth transition from the prior operator, our team has been hard at work on providing the most reliable, resilient and sustainable services possible.”

The WTE facility incinerates nonhazardous solid waste from municipal and commercial operations in the Michigan towns of Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Walker and Wyoming. Each year, the facility diverts 190,000 tons of waste from landfill, generates enough energy to power 11,000 homes and recovers enough steel to make 3,000 cars.

The WTE facility has earned Michigan’s Clean Corporate Citizen (C3) designation each year since 2006. The plant operates, on average, 90 percent below permit limits.

“We are thrilled to partner with Kent County and welcome the new members to the Vicinity team in Grand Rapids,” says Jesse Douglas, vice president and general manager of Vicinity’s Grand Rapids operations. “This transition of operations is an exciting step for both the county and Vicinity to bring innovative solutions to the communities we mutually serve.”

Vicinity also owns and operates a heating and cooling facility that provides clean steam to about 10 million square feet of space in downtown Grand Rapids. Vicinity’s district energy system maintains between 90-percent and 95-percent efficiency year-round. Grand Rapids customers connected to district energy have a 38 percent lower annual carbon footprint than if they were to self-generate heat.