Above: a rendering of the plant (Photo: Energy Answers)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The US Environmental Protection Agency has given its final approval for an air permit for a planned waste-to-energy plant in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

The solid waste facility is owned by Energy Answers Arecibo on the former site of Global Fibers Paper Mill.

The permit was first proposed in May 2012, followed by a series of six public hearings in Arecibo. The project would accept 2,100 tonnes per day and produce 77 megawatts of energy, according to Energy Answers.

“The emission standards contained in the permit are the most stringent conditions ever issued by the US EPA for a facility of this type,” Mark Green, Energy Answers’ project director in Puerto Rico, said in a statement. “The project will bring a state-of-the-art solution for fully compliant solid waste management and the generation of renewable energy.”

The EPA said it had considered all comments and oral testimonies in granting the air permit, after the proposal met opposition from some locals.

The company said the project would represent an investment into Puerto Rico’s economy of around $650 million.