European Officials Visit SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility

ROCHESTER, MA (October 2006)
When it comes to environmental stewardship and appropriate reduction and management of solid waste, the European Union has set an aggressive standard for the world. In 1999, the European Union adopted a strict environmental policy which bans the disposal of biodegradable waste going to landfills and encourages reliance on waste-to-energy systems. Members of CEWEP (Confederation of European Waste to Energy Plants) view the combustion of waste with energy recovery and recycling as complementary options to fulfill this policy. According to Managing Director Ella Stengler, “Managing waste with waste-to-energy facilities has the potential to make a huge contribution to climate protection. They are an essential part of both the waste management and the energy supply network”.

On October 18th, top CEWEP officials -- President Ferdinand Kleppmann; Managing Director Ella Stengler; and Dr. Kyra Dreher, Managing Director of ITAD (Germany’s waste-to-energy association) -- visited the SEMASS Resource Recovery Facility located in Rochester Massachusetts with Patrick F. Mahoney, President of Energy Answers International. Energy Answers, headquartered in Albany NY, developed and patented the SEMASS technology and was the managing general partner and co-operator for the first 10 years of operation. Today, Energy Answers is developing resource recovery solutions in several locations in the United States and abroad which are based on the technology used at SEMASS. SEMASS is currently owned and operated by Covanta. It continues to have the highest energy recovery rate, lowest residue percentage and the highest electrical output of any facility in the United States.

CEWEP was founded in 2002 and its membership includes 330 Waste-to-Energy Plants from across Europe, and Energy Answers is the only American company that is a CEWEP member. Membership in the CEWEP is dependent upon achieving high environmental standards and energy generation efficiency. Only those plants that adhere to the emission limit values of the European Waste Incineration Directive can become members.

SEMASS processes 3000 tons per day of waste from communities on Cape Cod and Southeastern Massachusetts. The Processed Refuse Fuel technology developed and patented by Energy Answers recovers recyclable materials from the waste and generates 80 megawatts of electrical energy, about 6% of the electrical supply of Massachusetts. The facility has been in continuous operation since 1989 and has allowed more than 40 communities to close their old, unlined landfills, increase their recycling rates and participate in a solid waste solution which has received numerous awards for its contribution to the environment and economy of the region.

The CEWEP group will attend and make presentations at the annual meeting of the Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council (WTERT) at Columbia University in Manhattan on October 19th. (See http://www.seas.columbia.edu/earth/wtert)

Because of improvements in technologies and air pollution control systems, as well as good plant operation and maintenance, energy from waste has become one of the cleanest and most environmentally beneficial renewable energy options in the world.

For More Information Contact:

Ella Stengler

CEWEP

Boulevard Clovis 12A

B-1000

Brussels, Belgium

Tel.: +32 (0)2 770 63 11

Fax: +32 (0)2 770 68 14
www.cewep.com

Elona Cadman

Energy Answers International, Inc.

79 North Pearl Street

Albany, NY 12207

Tel.: 518-434-1227

Fax: 518-436-6343

E-mail: information@energyanswers.com

Mary Ann Mahoney

Energy Answers International, LLC

1110 Strand Street

Christiansted, VI 00820

Tel: 340-778-7505

Fax: 340-778-7504