As crews continue to fight a massive fire at a Doral energy plant, NBC 6 looks into its past. NBC 6’s Laura Rodriguez and Phil Prazan report
As Miami-Dade fire crews continue to battle the fire at the waste-to-energy facility in Doral, NBC 6 Investigators found the county reported last fall the facility needed tens of millions of dollars in repairs – from the building to the electrical system and conveyor belts.
The big takeaway from county documents reviewed by NBC 6 and a “bridge” contract proposal is the facility is old, around 40 years old. When heavy facilities get older, they become harder and more expensive to operate reliably and safely. County leaders knew this and were planning to build a completely new facility in the years ahead.
NBC 6 has reported from inside Miami-Dade County’s Resource Recovery Facility in the past. The county describes it as the “centerpiece” of waste operations, processing nearly 1 million tons of trash per year; burning the trash with four combustors and using the steam to fuel two turbines that create electricity.
Monday, the fire is under control, but the burning continues.
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“We are in an abundance of caution, advising people in the area to keep their windows closed and roll up their car windows,” Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said at a Monday press conference.
The facility handles trash generated by 25 municipalities and in unincorporated areas of the county, according to documents sent to the county commission. NBC 6 reported in the past that one-fifth of the power it generates goes to the City of Homestead, a third goes to the power grid, and the rest is used to operate the facility.
In the Fall of 2022, the county commission approved a five-year “bridge” renewal for the facility while a long-term solution remains in the works. The staff report was included for commissioners to discuss during the contract extension negotiations along with the 127-page contract.
According to Miami-Dade Commission documents from October, the county was planning to continue the contract with the New Jersey contractor Covanta as a “bridge” until a new facility could be built. The documents state the contractor indicated they did not want to renew the existing long-term contract under existing terms.
Much of the equipment is nearing the end of its lifespan. County staff wrote, “to allow the RRF (Resource Recovery Facility) to continue to operate reliable, a major front-end-loaded capital refurbishment plan, as well as increased capital expenditures and major capital repairs during subsequent operating periods, will be required.”
Staff wrote approximately $178 million was needed in many areas, including the place where witnesses told the county fire department the fire began – the conveyer belts. Other upgrades to the electrical systems, the computer system, the roofs, sides, and doors were needed as well.
The staff’s report states those repairs were not unusual for a facility this age.
According to the Miami Herald, a brand-new facility would run the county for more than $1 billion.
Levine Cava said at the fire press conference those plans are still in the works.
“Obviously, we’re in a situation where we have a short-term change that we have to make as well as looking at long-term solutions,” Levine Cava said.
Again, it’s too early to know if the age of the building had anything to do with the fire.
Covanta has operated the facility since 2009.
Neighbors have sent a large number of complaints to the city of Doral over the smell from the facility. A petition asking the county to relocate the facility on change.org has more than 6,000 signatures.
Besides that, the facility has a pretty clean environmental record under this management, only being cited by the EPA in 2018 for not turning in a report on time.
