Mohave Electric Cooperative has filed a proposal to incinerate garbage to generate electricity. The Arizona Corporation Commission supports this proposal to support electric system reliability and calling it as a renewable energy resource.
The Arizona State utility regulators defends their resolution to let a garbage plant produce electricity by burning trash and calling it a renewable energy source. The Arizona Corporation Commission urged the Arizona Supreme Court to discard influences by the Sierra Club that garbage incineration does not meet the requirements for the same legal status such as wind energy and solar power.
Attorney Wesley Van Cleve deep-rooted that even the United States Government considers biogenic wastes from plant sources to be renewable, pointing out that the commission has good reasons for favoring the project.
The rules of renewable energy is to achieve resources from power-generating services to keep the public from fuel fluctuations and to promote system reliability. Evidently, resource diversity is indorsed by including an array of technologies and the commission recognizes this objective.
The proposal made by Mohave Electric Cooperative for renewable energy through garbage incineration will be determined by the Arizona Supreme Court. Rules will be set for the cooperative to meet its part of the renewable energy directive from a proposed plant located near Sunrise, AZ.
The commission regulations require that all utilities get a hold of at least 15 percent of their generated energy by 2025 from renewable resources defined as technology that will displace traditional power means like coal, oil, natural gas and uranium. In recognition of the higher alternative costs, commissioners have come to an agreement to let the utilities impose a customer surcharge.
The Reclamation Power Group was the one that proposed the Surprise trash-burning plant. The group needed it to qualify as renewable energy in order to give Mohave the charges to justify power plant expenses and for Mohave in return to charge its customers.
The Sierra Club contends the commission's decision stating that renewable energy resources do not apply to garbage incineration. Although, the court acknowledges burning trash to generate electricity as a technology that includes wind energy, solar power, hydroelectric and combustion.
