By: Commissioner Steven L. Abrams
District 4
As chairman of the Solid Waste Authority (SWA), I am pleased to report that we recently broke ground for a new addition to the existing waste-to-energy facility in West Palm Beach that will more than double the county’s ability to turn our garbage into electricity.
When completed in 32 months, the plant will process 1 million tons of municipal solid waste per year and generate enough electricity to power 56,000 homes. The new facility will also have some of the lowest emission levels in the nation.
The energy produced at this facility will not only help our country in its goal of moving towards domestic sources of renewable energy, but will also eliminate the need for an additional landfill over the next 40 years.
The SWA is working with Babcock & Wilcox Company and KBR Corp. as the prime contractors on this project and their subcontractor CDM Smith. Together they bring a proven track record of successful projects here in the United States and around the world.
The project will also provide a sorely needed boost to our local economy. There is a comprehensive program in place that focuses on hiring locally and using local businesses, including small businesses.
My goal as chairman of the SWA is for Palm Beach County to be the biggest producer of renewable energy in the United States, second only to the county where the Tennessee Valley Authority is located and we are well on our way with this new waste-to-energy facility
.
For more information on the new facility and the Solid Waste Authority, please visit www.swapbc.org.
With approximately 400 employees, the SWA provides solid waste disposal and recycling services and programs to the county’s 1.3 million residents and businesses.
Please contact me if I can be of assistance or if you have any comments and/or suggestions. I can be reached at sabrams@pbcgov.org or in my office at 561-355-2204 (West Palm Beach) or 561-276-1220 (Delray Beach).
Also, please visit my website at http://www.pbcgov.com/countycommissioners/district4/ for updates and links to county divisions and other governmental agencies.