Fiberight Maine plant earns additional approvals

A waste-to-energy plant near Bangor, Maine, that has been in the planning stages for several months has had its permits approved by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), clearing a major hurdle for the $69 million project.

The permits received relate to air emissions, solid waste handling and stormwater treatment, according to an online article by the Bangor Daily News.

The plant, to be built in Hampden, Maine, will handle inbound solid waste from 100 or more Maine towns, townships and waste districts and will be operated by Fiberight LLC, Catonsville, Maryland.

According to the Daily News article, the 97 communities and districts who have signed on to bring municipal solid waste (MSW) to the plant expect to bring about 98,000 tons of MSW to the new facility each year, an amount that falls short of the project’s initial 150,000-ton goal. However, another 40 communities and districts may yet sign on to send MSW to the plant.

The facility is expected to handle much of Maine’s MSW that had formerly headed to a landfill in Hampden that closed in 2010.

Fiberight says it has “developed a method to produce ethanol and biogas” using its “knowledge of plant design, waste processing and expertise regarding enzymatic hydrolysis to build a profitable and solution-driven business.”