Mecklenburg County has issued an air emissions permit for Bluesphere’s 5.2 MW waste-to-energy project in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The organics-to-waste facility will begin producing clean energy in summer of 2015 and meet all local, regional and national environmental emissions regulations.
It was imperative for Bluesphere to get an air emissions permit in order to develop and run this 5.2 MW organics-to-energy anaerobic digester, which will intake organic waste and process it in an anaerobic digester to emit biogas.
"The air permit usually tends to be one of the more difficult-to-get permits. We are now preparing to submit applications for the remaining permits, but the biggest piece of the permitting process is now behind us," said Bluesphere CEO Shlomi Palas. "We are nearing ground-breaking on the site and will produce and deliver power on schedule."
Bluesphere has managed to secure more than $14 million in debt project financing for the facility from a Fortune 50 company and $8.0 million in equity project financing from an environmental finance fund.
The company has also signed business contracts with a privately held global composting firm and a large power holding company in the U.S.
While the power holding company will purchase electricity generated at the Charlotte plant, the composting company will purchase compost from Bluesphere.
Charlotte, North Carolina project is already underway and Bluesphere is now developing its second U.S. organics-to-waste facility in Rhode Island.
Last month, Yigal Brosh joined Bluesphere's board of directors. He currently serves as chairman of Environmental Services Company in Israel and is also director of Analyst Portfolio Management Ltd., an Israeli investment management company with over $600 million in assets under management.
The company plans to have a total of 11 facilities built with 6 more under construction and development by 2018.