Will take up to 2 years for all approvals
Patrick Dare, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, June 11, 2008
The City of Ottawa is going ahead with its partnership with businessman Rod Bryden to move from testing its garbage-to-power technology to building a full commercial-size plant.
Yesterday, after a closed session with the city's lawyer, the planning committee authorized city manager Kent Kirkpatrick to proceed with a detailed legal agreement with Mr. Bryden's Plasco Energy Group to build a commercial-scale plant on four acres the city owns next to its Trail Road landfill.
The deal must still go to full council, but is expected to be approved.
The city has been a partner with Plasco for its test plant. The technology uses heat and chambers to break down garbage and extract gas that is either flared off or used to generate electricity.
Under the deal, the city will pay Plasco about $8 million for taking residential garbage that isn't recycled or composted. Because the city was a partner in testing the technology, it will get royalties of up to $3.5 million a year after Plasco plants have been sold to other countries and cities and are operating.
It will take up to two years to get all of the approvals for the new plant.
Mr. Bryden assured councillors yesterday that the technology must meet strict standards, confirmed by an independent consultant, to ensure harmful pollutants are not pumped into the air.
Mr. Kirkpatrick was asked about the dividends to the city and he said keeping garbage out of a landfill is a major benefit. City officials have estimated that if Ottawa were to try to establish a new landfill, the costs could reach $150 million and approvals would take years.
The plant will cost about $125 million, all of which will be paid by the company.
This article originally appeared in The Ottawa Citizen.