Trash to Energy Plant for Downed Trees [rumor]

[cannon_fodder]

[edit]Guess, just to be clear, I will reduce this to rumor status[/edit]

I learned that the City is moving forward with a plan to reactivate the trash to energy plant on a short term basis to eliminate waste from the storm.  It is not clear if actually generating capacity will be utilized or just use it as a burner. The operation that is being requested to run it has experience with operating a generating unit, but I have no clue if you can start such a thing short-term or what.

Not sure if the trigger will be pulled, but it is at very least an avenue the city is looking into.  And it makes sense, may as well utilize existing city assets to help take care of the problem.  If the generation capacity is utilized some good can come from the storm.

/sorry if this is old news.  I just heard about it.

[inteller]

Sweet!  This is the right thing to do! keep it going after all the debris is gone!

[sgrizzle]

We can just call it the "Trees to Energy Plant" from now on...

Turning trees into carbon dioxide? The republican in me is excited! It's like adding a supercharger to global warming!

[spoonbill]

They need everyone's help though!  

We have to pile all of our trees and debris on the plant, thick enough to melt the entire structure to the ground once ignited.

[TUalum0982]

quote:Originally posted by spoonbill

They need everyone's help though!  

We have to pile all of our trees and debris on the plant, thick enough to melt the entire structure to the ground once ignited.

they never should have closed that plant down in the first place.  Shame on Tulsa for letting it happen.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by TUalum0982

quote:Originally posted by spoonbill

They need everyone's help though!  

We have to pile all of our trees and debris on the plant, thick enough to melt the entire structure to the ground once ignited.

they never should have closed that plant down in the first place.  Shame on Tulsa for letting it happen.

agreed.

[spoonbill]

quote:Originally posted by TUalum0982

quote:Originally posted by spoonbill

They need everyone's help though!  

We have to pile all of our trees and debris on the plant, thick enough to melt the entire structure to the ground once ignited.

they never should have closed that plant down in the first place.  Shame on Tulsa for letting it happen.

Huh?  It cost more to run than it generated!  

It was worthless.  

[Friendly Bear]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

I learned that the City is moving forward with a plan to reactivate the trash to energy plant on a short term basis to eliminate waste from the storm.  It is not clear if actually generating capacity will be utilized or just use it as a burner. The operation that is being requested to run it has experience with operating a generating unit, but I have no clue if you can start such a thing short-term or what.

Not sure if the trigger will be pulled, but it is at very least an avenue the city is looking into.  And it makes sense, may as well utilize existing city assets to help take care of the problem.  If the generation capacity is utilized some good can come from the storm.

/sorry if this is old news.  I just heard about it.

Sorry, minor error there.  

The Hall Trash-to-Energy Plant is NOT a City of Tulsa asset.

While it was PAID for by the City trash rate-payers, it is in fact owned by the successor-in-bankruptcy to Covanta, WBH Generating Co. LLC.

We'd have to PAY them (again) to use it.

It was never economically viable, without the City of Tulsa MANDATING that all trash was required to be sent to the plant.  

It was a $200 million White Elephant.  

Thank Sinator Jim Inhofe for that too-dumb decision.

[cannon_fodder]

I readily admit that I am not fully educated in this matter, but as I understand it the asset is now owned by the City of Tulsa but the operating contract has expired.  Thus, we own it but no one wants to utilize it.

I understand that it was somewhat of a boondoggle as Tulsa jumped on the "wave of the future."

In any event, in this instance it is an asset as it allows them to solve a current problem.

[spoonbill]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

I readily admit that I am not fully educated in this matter, but as I understand it the asset is now owned by the City of Tulsa but the operating contract has expired.  Thus, we own it but no one wants to utilize it.

I understand that it was somewhat of a boondoggle as Tulsa jumped on the "wave of the future."

In any event, in this instance it is an asset as it allows them to solve a current problem.

I don't see where mulch and firewood is a problem?  

Why don't we just mulch up the limbs and sell it to Home Depot or Lowe's as garden mulch.  I know the buyer for both companies, would only take a phone call.  We could bag it in 20lb bags with a picture of the golden driller on them.  "Tulsa Freeze Mulch".

The logs could be split and sold through Quick Trip next year in those little fire-wood bundles that cost $5 each.  We could take the revenue and pay for the clean-up or. . . we could use it to build a giant monument on Brookside to the Bradford Pear.

The 80 ft. steel bradford pear tree would light up during the holiday season, and it's mechanical limbs would simulate splitting and falling every-time there's a breeze!

[cannon_fodder]

I believe it is the scope of the problem spoon.  There are simply too many limbs to realistically mulch them all.  Same for firewood, there are plenty of companies doing collections of firewood - but no one wants to stock it all.

What's more, not all woods are sold for firewood, and no all woods are sold as mulch (mulched soft maple, yay!).

If any company has an interest in converting storm waste to profit, let them at it.  But I am confident a government entity could do nothing but lose money on that venture.

[spoonbill]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder



If any company has an interest in converting storm waste to profit, let them at it.  But I am confident a government entity could do nothing but lose money on that venture.

I can agree with that!  

But what about "The Brookside Bradford"?

[Friendly Bear]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

I readily admit that I am not fully educated in this matter, but as I understand it the asset is now owned by the City of Tulsa but the operating contract has expired.  Thus, we own it but no one wants to utilize it.

I understand that it was somewhat of a boondoggle as Tulsa jumped on the "wave of the future."

In any event, in this instance it is an asset as it allows them to solve a current problem.

RecycleMichael is probably the self-appointed Subject Matter expert on the Walter Hall Trash to Energy Plant.

However, just to set the record straight:

The City or a city authority does NOT own the plant.  It is owned by CIT.  WBH Generating is a subsidiary of CIT, and operated the Plant.

Here's what a July 21, 2007 Lorton World article says:

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070721_1_A13_hMinu53533


The trash-to-energy plant was built in 1986 on the west bank of the Arkansas River.

It was conceived as a response to a national marketing blitz that predicted a land-fill space shortage, which never became a reality in this wide-open area of the country.

Tulsa residents and businesses as of May 1 had paid off the $180 million cost of the plant through higher trash rates over the last two decades. But the city never owned the facility.

Officials decided at the time that it would be better to partner with a private company because of liability issues.

CIT is not the original owner. The plant shut down for several months in 2003 because of the bankruptcy of the owner, Covanta Tulsa Inc., and its eventual takeover by CIT.

Nonetheless, the Burn Plant would probably be a good location to dispose of the tree branches and debris.  Maybe we can even sell some steam to Sunoco again.  But only at a another very LOW price. They only like Sweatheart deals.

However, I presumet the plant is mothballed.  It may not be worth the cost to bring it back into operation.

[]

[RecycleMichael]

It is difficult to type these words...

friendly bear is right.

[Conan71]

The TTE has NEVER generated anything other than steam for Sun Refinery.  I believe they tested the turbines once a year or so, but that was it.

I think they should segregate the wood, on hickory or pecan days, bring your meat out for free smoking.