Politics & Government
Council Agrees to Move Forward With Waste-to-Energy Facility
Land is already reserved for the plant, which could be completed by 2018
The Palo Alto City Council agreed last night to request bids from vendors interested in helping provide the technology for a new waste-to-energy plant.
About 10 acres of land are reserved at the east end of Embarcadero Road for this plant thanks to Measure E, which was passed in November with 64% of the vote. The plant will use a process called “anaerobic digestion” to convert organic waste into usable compost or energy.
Despite the excitement to move forward, the Council agreed that a lot of background research needs to be done before they can jump into action.
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"We need a roadmap," Phil Bobel, assistant director of the Public Works Department, said. "Without that, we could construct one project in one location which could be negative to another needed project that we'd subsequently realize. To avoid this improper sequencing, we need a plan."
If everything goes as planned and the city officially decides to pursue the waste-to-energy plant, its construction could begin in 2015 and be completed by 2018.
