Plant Tour Information Contact:
Liz Howard
lhoward@ref-fuel.com

Plant Tour Information Form

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New Jersey’s largest waste-to-energy facility, owned and operated by American Ref-Fuel Company of Essex County, serves the refuse disposal needs of 22 municipalities in Essex County and the surrounding region.

The Essex County Resource Recovery Facility opened in 1990, boasting one of the smoothest plant start-ups in industry history. Today the facility combusts 2,800 tons per day of municipal solid waste and generates approximately 65 megawatts of electricity for sale.

Essex County, New Jersey, sponsored the facility developed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and constructed by American Ref-Fuel. The project’s design and construction employed the largest Minority Business Enterprise Plan in New Jersey history. The reduction of the county’s landfill requirements and the recovery of energy from the Essex County solid waste stream in an environmentally sound manner are among the benefits the facility brings to the community.

The Essex Resource Recovery Facility received its OSHA Star facility designation in 1995.

Key Project Facts

Primary Service Area: Essex County

Owner: American Ref-Fuel Company of Essex County

Contract Term: 25 years with provisions for extensions

Financing Method: Tax-exempt Revenue Bonds plus private equity

Waste Supply: County municipalities guarantee to deliver a combined minimum of 680,000 tons per year.

Energy Market: Electricity generation for plant use and export to Public Service Electric and Gas

Capacity: 2,800 tons per day

Number of Process Lines: Three @ 933 tons per day

Type of Stoker Grate: Duesseldorf Roller Grate System

Steam Conditions at Boiler Outlet: 211,000 lbs/hr @ 650 psia/750⁰F

Turbine-Generators: Two 35 nominal megawatt units

Air Quality Control: Three DBA electrostatic precipitators and three spray dry scrubber systems

Stack Height: 279 feet

Bunker Capacity: 14,000 tons

Secondary Materials Recovery: Recovery of ferrous materials from post-incinerated ash