07/16/24 H-POWER fire damages baghouse

H-POWER fire damages baghouse

HONOLULU - A fire yesterday afternoon at the City and County of Honolulu's (City) waste-to-energy facility, H-POWER, damaged a portion of the baghouse, which is part of H-POWER's emissions control system. Five employees of Reworld, formerly Covanta Energy, the company that operates H-POWER under contract with the City's Department of Environmental Services (ENV), were evaluated for smoke inhalation - four were taken to the hospital as a precaution and later released, the fifth refused transport.

Smoldering trash on a conveyor belt started the fire at approximately 4:30 p.m., and the Honolulu Fire Department extinguished it by 7 p.m. The fire was contained to the baghouse located in the waste processing facility of the original section of the plant.

H-POWER remains open and is able to accept and process waste, although at a reduced capacity for at least the next several days while ENV and Reworld evaluate and repair fire damage. Some waste will be diverted to the Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill until H-POWER is restored to full processing capacity.

─ PAU ─