NJ sewer plant flushed $30 million down the green energy rathole

Back in 2001 the Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority wanted to find a way to cut their electric bill while doing something good for the environment. They embarked on an ambitious plan to build an electrical cogeneration facility powered by sewer gas. Sewer plants produce lots of methane gas, and the idea was that they could burn it to run the wastewater treatment facility and sell some electricity to boot.

Hey, the econuts are always telling us how bad methane gas is for Mother Gaia so this seemed like a bang-up idea.

Well, there was a bang alright. Several, in fact. It blew up. Repeatedly. Unburnt fuel kept getting trapped in the exhaust system and ka-boom! the backfires were loud and numerous.

Undeterred by these setbacks the RVSA continued to pour money and resources into their renewable energy boondoggle. The initial project estimate of $12 million ballooned to more than $30 million. And still it didn't work.

Now an outside audit has concluded that the idea never made much sense in the first place.

Finger pointing is rampant. The RVSA and 15 vendors involved in the project are entangled in litigation that will drag through the courts for years. Rather than continue to flush money down this rathole the RVSA finally pulled the plug. They'll spend their money on lawyers now, although lawyers don't generate very much electricity.

Guess who pays? The local citizenry of course! Sewer fees have more than trebled in the towns served by the RVSA just to cover the debt incurred in building the worthless cogen plant and expanding their sewage treatment operation.

And in an ironic twist, the electricity they need to run the place now comes from a pair of trusty, reliable, and cheap diesel generators. Mother Gaia could not be reached for comment.

Posted at 10:00 by Chris Wysocki   [/agw]   Comments | Perm Link |
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