but near-term plans call for it to be expanded.
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The third boiler expansion project at the HPOWER waste-to-energy plant is complete but is not expected to be fully operational until September, officials said Tuesday in announcing that the facility won a prestigious national award.
Some trash is being accepted now to test the machinery and evaluate its performance, officials said.
Once the new unit goes online, the plant as a whole will generate 73 megawatts of electricity — enough for 75,000 homes — and divert nearly 80 percent of the island’s nonrecyclable trash from the Waimanalo Gulch landfill, officials said. The plant now generates about 46 megawatts and takes in about 600,000 tons of solid waste annually.
"This is something that we all should be proud of," Mayor Peter Carlisle said at a news conference at the plant in Campbell Industrial Park. "It’s good for the environment. It’s good for the taxpayers."
The HPOWER plant in April received the "Waste-to-Energy Facility of the Year" award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Materials and Energy Recovery Division.
Officials also announced the city and Hawaiian Electric Co. have reached an agreement on a new 20-year power-purchase agreement to reflect the greater generating capacity of HPOWER. The new contract, which is before the Public Utilities Commission for review, modifies and extends terms of the original contract signed in 1986.