Orange County NC Website
concern about greenhouse gases, a change in flow control legislation, and the <br />increasing cost oflong distance transfer and disposal. <br />Recent activity in the evaluation and procurement ofVVPT by other U.S. cities and <br />counties isdetailed. Like Orange County, these localities are exploring alternatives <br />for service to their citizens. Information on the investigations of New York City, the <br />City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, and King County, VVA into the applicability <br />ofVVPTis highlighted. Current VVPT procurements are outlined, including: a resource <br />recovery facility for Frederick and Carroll Counties, MD; expansion of the Harford, <br />MD \NTE facility; negotiations by the City of Sacramento, CA for a plasma gasification <br />project; Broward County, FL's Request for Expressions of Inbansat to evaluate <br />potential waste disposal options; a plasma .arc gasification project proposed in St. <br />Lucie County, FL; and VVTE plant expansions in Hillsborough and Lee Counties, FL, <br />that are currently being constructed. Atota| of 80 technology vendors offering 14 <br />different technologies are represented, evaluated, screened, or selected during these <br />research and procurement projects. <br />The economic characteristics of the various waste processing technologies, including <br />capital and operating costs and hok' are summarized in the report. Generally, <br />capital coat for / the proven bachno\ogi. es are in the range of $150,000 to $250,000 <br />per ton of installed capacity, depending on size and plant configuration. Operating <br />coots are in te range of $35 to $GO per ton processed, not including residue <br />disposal, again dependent on size, equipment and operating profile, and assuming a <br />private mp=----tor' These figures are based on industry rules-of-thumb, recent <br />operating results from selected facilities, surveys of industry professionals and <br />related references. <br />Of the vvaata processing technologies examined, only VVTE is a proven technology <br />which could be recommended for implementation consideration by Orange County at <br />this point intime. As mentioned earlier, there are O9VVTE plants generating power <br />in the U.S. and hundreds worldwide. The other technologies discussed are in various <br />stages of development and are not mature enough to mitigate the risks potentially <br />inherent with their implementation. <br />In evaluating waste n enooie fo Oane Comy o osder t s <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 waste at a 300 TPD VVTE facility in <br />Orange County is esti mated at $103 per ton. To improve the economics of utilizing <br />waste processing technology, Orange County would need to partner with an adiaoancommunity. counity. T= �- — �O� competitive erton is not competitive with the County's currant landfill <br />' with Waste Industries' . 42 per ton to transfer and <br />cost of � <br />disposal f�� of �49 or w a� <br />dispose ofwaste. <br />Although currently unknown, the cost of the County's new transfer station and <br />|andfi||ing at a remote site is unlikely to reach $102 per hon. As the County <br />investigates the cost of transfer and disposal in preparation of its landfill closing, <br />VVPTcou|d be more economically attractive once the coat of transfer and disposal is <br />known. If $102 per ton were to look competitive, it is recommended that Orange <br />- <br />County conduct a VVTE plant t faasibi|ity study which considers mass-burn modular <br />technologies, and/or fuel production approaches. <br />GBB/CO8027-01 ES-2 August 15, 2008 <br />