Waste to energy plant feasible

Industry consultants report it is feasible to build a waste conversion facility in Glenn County.

The Israeli firm of ArrowBio, which recently studied the proposed KVB plant near Hamilton City, reported the project is not only feasible, but doable, said Ryne Johnson, a consultant on the project.

Johnson and owner Kara Baker updated the Board of Supervisors on the study Tuesday. The county hopes to be able to send its municipal waste to the facility in the future.

KVB received the ArrowBio report in January, but some of the financial sections are still incomplete, Johnson said.

The waste supply in Glenn County should be adequate to run the facility, Johnson said, assuming the county goes through with plans to close its landfill and divert all of the waste to the KVB facility.

Initially, Johnson and Baker believed other waste sources might be needed such as bringing in waste from Butte and Tehama counties, but that may no longer be necessary.

To make it work, the plant needs to be built for under $11 million, the study said, and tipping fees should range from $72 to $85 per ton, with $85 being the most financially workable amount.

Johnson said there are no known unresolvable hurdles to the project at this point.

It is anticipated the project could provide 13 quality jobs, he said, plus additional jobs off site with other companies.

Agriculture and other county industries also could benefit from the disposal of waste there, he said.

Construction of the facility could make Glenn County a "leader in green technology and expand its role as a global player," Johnson said.

"We need a cooperative partnership with Glenn County," he said, "working from a problem-solving perspective."

In the meantime, Johnson and Baker indicated they still looking for investors and bank financing for the project and should get more concrete answers once the ArrowBio report is finalized.

County Planning Director John Linhart added he will bring a landfill closure plan to the board soon.

Board members said expanding the landfill on County Road 33 west of Artois is too costly and it would be cheaper to close it.

However, the county still must plan for the closure as some disposal cells are nearing capacity.