Agenda - 09-02-2008 - 7a - Laserfiche WebLink

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concern about greenhouse gases, a change in flow control legislation, and the increasing cost of long distance transfer and disposal. Recent activity in the evaluation and procurement of WPT by other U.S. cities and counties is detailed. Like Orange County, these localities are exploring alternatives for service to their citizens. Information on the investigations of New York City, the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and King County, WA into the applicability of WPT is highlighted. Current WPT procurements are outlined, including: a resource recovery facility for Frederick and Carroll Counties, MD; expansion of the Harford, MD WTE facility; negotiations by the City of Sacramento, CA for a plasma gasification project; Broward County, FL's Request for Expressions of Interest to evaluate potential waste disposal options; a plasma arc gasification project proposed in St. Lucie County, FL; and WTE plant expansions in Hillsborough and Lee Counties, FL, that are currently being constructed. A total of 80 technology vendors offering 14 different technologies are represented, evaluated, screened, or selected during these research and procurement projects. The economic characteristics of the various waste processing technologies, including capital and operating costs and risk, are summarized in the report. Generally, capital cost for the proven technologies are in the range of $150,000 to $250,000 per ton of installed capacity, depending on size and plant configuration. Operating costs are in the range of $35 to $60 per ton processed, not including residue disposal, again dependent on size, equipment and operating profile, and assuming a private operator. These figures are based on industry rules -of- thumb, recent operating results from selected facilities, surveys of industry professionals and related references. Of the waste processing technologies examined, only WTE is a proven technology which could be recommended for implementation consideration by Orange County at this point in time. As mentioned earlier, there are 89 WTE plants generating power in the U.S. and hundreds worldwide. The other technologies discussed are in various stages of development and are not mature enough to mitigate the risks potentially inherent with their implementation. In evaluating waste processing technologies for Orange County to consider, it is apparent that there is not enough waste generated by the County to gain the economies of scale necessary to make a waste processing technology a cost - effective investment. The estimated cost to process waste at a 300 TPD WTE facility in Orange County is estimated at $102 per ton. To improve the economics of utilizing waste processing technology, Orange County would need to partner with an adjacent community. The $102 per ton is not competitive with the County's current landfill disposal fee of $49 or with Waste Industries' cost of $42 per ton to transfer and dispose of waste. Although currently unknown, the cost of the County's new transfer station and landfilling at a remote site is unlikely to reach $102 per ton. As the County investigates the cost of transfer and disposal in preparation of its landfill closing, WPT could be more economically attractive once the cost of transfer and disposal is known. If $102 per ton were to look competitive, it is recommended that Orange County conduct a WTE plant feasibility study which considers mass -burn modular technologies, and /or fuel production approaches. GBB/C08027 -01 ES -2 August 15, 2008