Hennepin Energy Recovery Center – Waste-to-Energy Facility
Address: 417 N 5th St, Minneapolis, MN 55401
Overview:
Plant Description: Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) is a waste-to-energy facility containing two boilers each capable of burning 600 tons of waste per day. Steam from the boilers is used to drive a turbine generator producing electricity that is sold to Xcel Energy, and additional steam is sent to Target Field and the downtown Minneapolis heating and cooling system.
Production Capability: 33.7 MW of electrical power, enough for 25,000 homes; and 15,000 pounds per hour of steam for district energy use, enough for 1,500 homes.
Fuel Source: HERC burns the trash that remains after residents and businesses separate and recycle bottles, cans, paper, cardboard, electronic waste, batteries, oil, yard waste and other materials. On average, HERC currently burns 1,000 tons of garbage per day. About 100,000 tons of the garbage burned per year comes from Minneapolis residences, and the remainder of the garbage is from other sources within Hennepin County.
Environmental Highlights: The facility employs state-of-the-art emission control technology to treat flue gases and ensure that emissions are below the limits set by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Environmental Protection Agency. HERC was the first waste-to-energy facility in the country to use activated carbon injection to control mercury emissions.
HERC won the Gold Award from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) as the Waste-to-Energy Facility of the Year in 1995. The facility is operated by Covanta Energy Corporation, one of the nation’s leaders in waste-to-energy technology.
Benefits:
- Produces efficient, clean and renewable energy. HERC produces enough electricity to power 25,000 homes for an entire year and steam to heat 1,500 homes annually.
- Reduces greenhouse gas emissions. For every ton of waste processed at HERC, there is a net reduction of one ton of greenhouse gas emissions. This is accomplished by preventing methane gas emissions from the decomposition of organic material in landfills and offsetting the emissions from consuming fossil fuels to produce energy.
- Avoids landfilling. The waste processed at HERC has saved 7.8 million cubic yards of landfill space, the equivalent of 244 football fields, 15 feet deep.
- Increases recycling. Every year, HERC recovers 11,000 tons of metal that is recycled.
