Pictured from left to right: Leah Richter, ARCADIS; Rebecca A. Rodriguez, CDM Smith; Ramana Kari, Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County (SWA); Dan Pellowitz, SWA; Patrick Carroll, SWA; Ray Schauer, SWA; Kevin Leo, CDM Smith; Joe Krupa, ARCADIS.
The
Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County’s Renewable Energy Facility 2 (REF 2) was named Project of the Year by the
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Palm Beach Branch on April 7, 2016. The award honors a project that demonstrates civil engineering excellence in research, design, construction or management.
“We are very pleased with this recognition,” said Ramana Kari, the SWA’s chief engineer. “The SWA, our consulting engineer partner, ARCADIS, and our construction partners Babcock & Wilcox, KBR and CDM Smith have built a state-of-the-art waste-to-energy facility that will serve the waste disposal needs of the residents of Palm Beach County for decades to come.”
REF 2 is a $672 million renewable energy facility that began commercial operations in June 2015. Considered most advanced waste-to-energy power plant in North America, REF 2 can process 1 million tons of postrecycled municipal solid waste (MSW) per year. The waste is combusted to generate electricity and conserve landfill space.
“Our goal is to provide excellent waste management services to the people of Palm Beach County,” said Kari. “This award demonstrates the value that REF 2 brings to our community.”
The ASCE Palm Beach’s Project of the Year award is based on innovative application of technology, value to the engineering profession, social and economic considerations, and the complexity of the project, among other criteria. As a winner of this award, the REF 2 project will be submitted to the Florida Section of ASCE for the statewide awards competition.
The REF 2 project has also been honored with the 2015 Crown Communities Award for Sustainability by American City and County magazine.
