It has been determined that an energy-from-waste plant in The Regional Municipality of Niagara is feasible. The facility would burn all of Niagara's combustible waste, plus some from the neighboring regions of Halton and Hamilton-Wentworth, to produce steam for use at Ontario Paper's Thorold plant. Earlier, studies had been carried out to determine the quantity and quality of waste available.The Regional Municipality of Niagara, The Ontario Paper Company Limited, and the Ontario Ministry of Energy agreed to undertake a feasibility study that would determine the economic and technical feasibility of such a facility. This study was carried out by the consulting engineering firm, SNC/GECO Canada Incorporated, under the direction of a steering committee comprised of staff members from the Ontario Paper Company, the Regional Municipality of Niagara, the Ontario Ministry of Energy, and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment.The study was carried out in three phases; the first phase confirmed the waste quality and quantities and identified the characteristies of the steam used at Ontario Paper's Thorold plant. The second phase evaluated two turn-key proposals and recommended that the third phase, which was the economic analysis of the project, be carried out based on the turn-key proposal submitted by the joint venture of Waste Management of Canada Incorporated, Volund USA Limited, and Canadian General Electric Company Limited. It had earlier been decided to proceed using the proven technology of mass-burning.The proposal evaluated contained two alternatives, a 600-t/day plant and a 1200-t/day plant. It is concluded that the facility would provide the Ontario Paper Company with a long-term energy supply at an economic rate and eliminate the need for additional land for landfilling in the future, with its associated problems of leachates, gas generation, and many others.
ONTARIO-MINNESOTA PULP AND PAPER COMPANY LIMITED BURSARIES AWARD