Covanta Hempstead Expansion Proposal

Covanta Hempstead Company (Covanta) is seeking to add a fourth boiler, a second turbine generator and ancillary equipment to its existing Hempstead Energy-from-Waste (EfW) facility, located on Merchants Concourse in Westbury, NY. The successful implementation of this Expansion Project will permit Covanta Hempstead to process an additional 420,000 tons of solid waste per year and generate  an additional 35 megawatts of renewable electricity (net of in plant consumption).

The EfW facility is currently permitted to process up to 975,000 tons of municipal solid waste per year into enough clean, renewable energy to supply approximately 60,000 homes. The proposed expansion will add enough electricity to the grid to power about 29,000 additional homes.  The Expansion Project expects to recover approximately 8,400 tons per year of metals for recycling (avoiding use of virgin materials) in addition to the 20,000 tons per year of metals already recovered by the existing Covanta Hempstead facility.

The Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency (IDA), as lead agency to the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) permitting process and in conformance with SEQRA, is coordinating the review of required environmental studies. In addition, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) are conducting reviews of permit applications for the construction and operation of the Expansion Project. For more information, go to http://www.tohida.org/covanta-hempstead-expansion.aspx.