Question 9 of 17: Waste-to-Energy Feasibility Assessment for an Industrial Park

Question 9: Waste-to-Energy Feasibility Assessment for an Industrial Park (8 marks)

Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.

• Waste supply assessment. Quantify the guaranteed long-term (20–25 year) tonnage, composition and heating value (per Q1.3's gas-law-based combustion calculations) of combustible waste available, using the estimation methods of Q6/Q13, since plant sizing and revenue both depend directly on a secure feedstock.
• Energy demand assessment. Characterize the industrial park's steam, heat or electricity demand profile — base load, peak load, and daily/seasonal variability — and compare it against the steady, largely non-seasonal energy output a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant naturally provides.
• Technology selection. Compare mass-burn combustion, refuse-derived-fuel (RDF) combustion and gasification/pyrolysis (Q1.5) options, weighing capital cost, waste-preparation requirements and operating track record.
• Environmental and regulatory assessment. Air-emissions permitting (particulates, acid gases, dioxins/furans), ash management and disposal, and the environmental-assessment process, all of which affect both project cost and timeline.
• Economic analysis. Capital cost, operating cost (including standby/backup energy for planned or unplanned plant outages), tipping-fee revenue and energy-sale revenue benchmarked against the industrial park's current energy cost, in a full life-cycle comparison against the status-quo alternative.
• Public and stakeholder consultation. WTE facilities are frequently contentious siting decisions; early, sustained community and Indigenous/regulatory engagement is required alongside, not after, the technical assessment.
• Contractual and institutional structure. A firm, long-term energy purchase agreement (steam or power) with the industrial park, or its individual tenants, is essential to secure project financing, since the plant's economics depend on a guaranteed revenue stream matching its guaranteed waste-supply commitment.
• Recommendation and reporting. Synthesize the above into a feasibility conclusion, with sensitivity analysis on the key uncertain variables (waste supply security, energy price, capital cost).