Trash-to-Cash ?

Since this announcement (you can read the details on WAPA's site, http://www.viwapa.vi/news-alpine-contract.asp), I have been doing some research on the proposed methods, which has made me very concerned about the potential environmental impact of this project. On the surface, it looks like a fantastic deal, but there are some things that haven't been mentioned in the press yet.

It's not the waste-to-fuel conversion (you can read about that at http://www.wastaway.com/our_process.html) but the burning of petroleum coke from our friends at Hovensa that could be a serious environmental calamity without proper desulfurization and CO2 management. Nothing in any of the public releases has indicated whether/how the toxins will be removed and how that waste will be disposed of. Petcoke is a dirtier fuel than the dirtiest form of coal, and this is what we will be burning for our fossil-free power source in "paradise".

The contractor, Alpine Energy Group ( http://www.alpineenergygroup.com/), appears to have been chosen based on cost alone; this is their first actual implementation of such a project. Their inexperience is worrisome. Will they really be able to achieve what they claim for the $440 million price tag?

I have contacted WAPA looking for more answers on the environmental question. I encourage others to do their own research and ask lots of questions about this project, or we could wind up with an expensive and even harmful mess on our hands.