FACILITIES : WASTE-TO-ENERGY

Through its integrated waste management system, SPSA is able to put 57% of the waste it receives to a beneficial use, allowing the region to reduce its dependence on landfills. An important component of this program is the Waste-to-Energy system. Through operations at the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant and Power Plant, SPSA processes waste into fuel which is burned to create steam and electricity.

Refuse Derived Fuel Plant
The Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Plant began operation in 1988 as part of SPSA's waste-to-energy system and processes nearly half of all solid waste received by SPSA.

The RDF Plant is designed to process 2,000 tons of waste a day. Using equipment to screen, size, separate, and shred burnable waste into a uniform four-inch particle size, the RDF Plant is able to produce a superior fuel which burns more efficiently in completing SPSA's waste-to-energy cycle.

Waste delivered to the Portsmouth-based plant is unloaded on a 1.3 acre tipping floor, where it is pushed onto conveyors to begin processing. Employees on the tipping floor and cameras located in the control room screen the waste for hazardous materials or bulky items which could endanger or impede the processing of the waste.

In addition to refuse derived fuel production, non-processable waste and reject materials are removed from the RDF Plant waste stream, and ferrous metals and aluminum cans are separated for recycling.

A system of belt magnets extracts over 1,000 tons of ferrous metals monthly for recycling. Also at the RDF Plant, used motor oil is collected from area residents for recycling and a household hazardous waste collection facility is open on designated days to offer residents a place to dispose of hazardous products safely. More details...

Power Plant
SPSA assumed operational and maintenance responsibility for the Power Plant in May 1990. The plant is designed to burn 1,500 tons of refuse derived fuel (RDF) daily. It produces all of the process and heating steam as well as the majority of the electrical power required by the Navy's largest shipyard, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard. Electrical power in excess of the shipyard's needs is sold to Virginia Power.

Fuel produced at SPSA's RDF Plant is transported 2,000 feet to the Power Plant via underground and overhead conveyor belts. The Power Plant operates its boilers and turbine generators 24 hours a day, burning approximately 43% of the solid waste managed by SPSA.

The Power Plant utilizes the newest and best air pollution control equipment available. Spray dryer absorbers and fabric filters have replaced electrostatic precipitators, allowing the facility to exceed the most stringent EPA requirements. More details...