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59 <br />6.0 Opinion on Which Waste Processing Technologies <br />Should Be Considered for Orange County <br />Of the waste processing technologies examined, only WTE is a proven technology <br />which could be recommended for implementation consideration by Orange County at <br />this point in time. As mentioned earlier, there are 89 WTE plants generating power <br />in the U.S. and hundreds worldwide. The other technologies discussed are in various <br />stages of development. <br />The alternative technologies are not mature enough to mitigate the risks potentially <br />inherent with their implementation: <br />Risk of technical failure - The technology is unproven. <br />Risk of pricing uncertainty — Should the County enter into a purchasing <br />agreement with a vendor for a WPT, the ultimate price paid may be much <br />higher than that indicated in the proposal. <br />Risk of environmental non - compliance — The technology's environmental <br />performance may be insufficient to meet regulations. <br />In evaluating waste processing technologies for Orange County to consider, it is <br />apparent that there is not enough waste generated by the County to gain the <br />economies of scale necessary to make a waste processing technology a cost - effective <br />investment. The estimated cost to process a ton of waste at a WTE facility in Orange <br />County is $102. To improve the economics of utilizing waste processing technology, <br />Orange County would need to partner with an adjacent community. The $102 per ton <br />is not competitive with the County's current landfill disposal fee of $49, nor with <br />Waste Industries' cost of $42 per ton to transfer and dispose of waste. Although <br />currently unknown, the cost of the County's new transfer station and landfilling at a <br />remote site is unlikely to reach $100 per ton. As the County investigates the cost of <br />transfer and disposal in preparation of its landfill closing, WPT may be more <br />economically attractive once the cost of transfer and disposal is known. <br />If $102 per ton were to look competitive, it is recommended that Orange County <br />conduct a WTE plant feasibility study which considers both mass -burn and modular <br />technologies, and /or fuel production approaches. <br />GBB/C08027 -01 30 August 15, 2008 <br />