Case history of MSW-to-energy financings

The development of solid waste treatment facilities is dependent upon the developer having sufficient resources to fund the development of a project and the ability of the project to be financed. The access to capital to develop, construct and operate a facility is the key component of the development process. The author is not diminishing the need for long-term waste agreements, the advantages of a superior technology or the benefit of experience. However, without capital, a project will never be initiated and the other components are immaterial. This paper reviews development financing with a case study of an environmental development company with a new technology and project financing with a comparison of four financings of Waste to Energy (WTE) facilities. Prior to reviewing the financings, the components of a project including the participants, agreements, and cash flows are discussed to establish a foundation for the later discussion. The analysis is not intended to be directly applicable to material recovery and composting facilities, however, many issues are common to all environmental facilities