# Covanta Hempstead NYISO power_plant · https://askthegrid.com/nyiso/assets/plant/covanta-hempstead Covanta Hempstead is a municipal solid waste-to-energy facility located at 600 Merchants Concourse, Westbury, Nassau County, New York. The facility comprises three identical energy-from-waste combustion units that generate steam to drive a single 78.6 MW steam turbine generator. It opened in October 1989 and processes approximately 1 million tons of waste annually, generating electricity sold to the Long Island Power Authority. The facility diverts substantial waste from landfills and recovers ferrous metals for recycling. ## Key facts - Technology: Municipal Solid Waste - Power capacity: 78.6 MW ## Grid and market context - ISO/RTO: NYISO - Balancing authority: NYISO ## Source-backed facts - Technical.site acres: 15 acres — reworldwaste.com · confidence: review_required - Technical.unit count: 3 units — extapps.dec.ny.gov · confidence: review_required - Technical.unit configuration: Three identical municipal-solid-waste energy-from-waste combustion units producing steam for electricity generation — extapps.dec.ny.gov · confidence: review_required - Technical.energy mwh: 15000000 MWh — reworldwaste.com · confidence: review_required - Identity.identifiers.eia oris plant code: 10642 — epa.gov · confidence: review_required - Identity.identifiers.nyiso resource code: 23647 — nyiso.com · confidence: review_required - Identity.identifiers.dec facility id: 1282001727 — extapps.dec.ny.gov · confidence: review_required ## Timeline - 2012-10-30 — Waste-throughput and emissions-permit modification The facility's annual waste-throughput limit of 975,000 tons was converted to a steam-generation limit. The facility-wide NOx emissions cap was reduced from 1,457 tons per year to 1,280 tons per year. Source: extapps.dec.ny.gov (https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/data/dar/afs/permits/128200172700028_r3.pdf) ## Sources - [extapps.dec.ny.gov](https://extapps.dec.ny.gov/data/dar/afs/permits/128200172700028_r3.pdf) — extapps.dec.ny.gov · tier authoritative - [libn.com](https://libn.com/2005/02/04/american-reffuel-to-be-sold-for-2-billion/) — libn.com · tier public_source - [epa.gov](https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/documents/2021-01.pdf) — epa.gov · tier authoritative - [nyiso.com](https://www.nyiso.com/documents/20142/51231901/2025-NYCA-Existing-Generating-Facilities.xlsx/6a8b1cda-6bf3-f546-0f18-737a7835c686) — nyiso.com · tier authoritative - [reworldwaste.com](https://www.reworldwaste.com/news-resources/newsroom/2019/2019/09/september-18) — reworldwaste.com · tier public_source - [reworldwaste.com](https://www.reworldwaste.com/news-resources/newsroom/eqt-infrastructure-to-acquire-covanta-holding-corporation-a-global-leader-in-waste-to-energy-solutions-for-20.25-per-share) — reworldwaste.com · tier public_source - [reworldwaste.com](https://www.reworldwaste.com/where-we-are/facilities/hempstead) — reworldwaste.com · tier public_source ## Data quality - The supplied anchor fuel classification as 'biomass' is not supported by any retrieved source. All authoritative sources (NYSDEC permit, Reworld official facility page, industry profile, and NYISO records) identify this facility as a municipal solid waste-to-energy plant, not biomass. The correct fuel type is municipal solid waste. The exact plant is identified by EIA ORIS Plant Code 10642, NYISO resource code 23647, and NYSDEC Facility ID 1282001727 across multiple authoritative sources. This is treated as predecessor/proposed-project history, not proof that the existing three-unit MSW combustion plant was built under that structure. The facility's 1989 opening date is corroborated by multiple independent sources: Covanta's official 2019 announcement, Wastebits facility directory, and NYISO generating-facilities records. American Ref-Fuel Holdings Corp. acquired American Ref-Fuel Holdings Corp. The Hempstead facility was American Ref-Fuel's flagship asset, but no separate plant-level purchase price is disclosed. This was a parent company transaction, not a separately disclosed plant-level sale. NYSDEC records document three identical boilers in continuous operation through 2022, with 2021-2022 equipment improvements including conveyor replacement, boiler-tube upgrades, and facility control enhancements. No retirement, repowering, or permanent deactivation has been documented. As of December 2025, NYISO records show Hempstead (RR) in an ICAP Ineligible Forced Outage under MST Section 5.18. Reworld's official facility page separately reports that electrical-system repairs were required before units could be restarted following a power-loss incident. This is consistent with a temporary maintenance outage rather than retirement. The facility's nameplate capacity of 78.6 MW (per EIA ORIS) differs from the 72 MW operating/contracted capacity cited by Reworld and Covanta filings, likely reflecting different rating methodologies. The EIA-linked 78.6 MW is used as the authoritative technical specification. No exact-plant EPC contractor, construction cost, or plant-specific equipment model numbers are provided in the retrieved evidence. Equipment suppliers (ABB for turbine, Riley Power for boilers) are documented from industry sources and OEM websites. The power purchase agreement with LIPA is documented to have commenced in 2012 for a 20-year term, setting a notional end date of 2032, though no expiration or renewal notification has been located. No plant-specific settlement point, interconnection voltage, or substation designation is documented in the corpus beyond the withdrawn Covanta Energy Hempstead Expansion queue entry (138 kV, 2010), which is not applicable to the existing facility. - Open question: [object Object] - Open question: [object Object] - Open question: [object Object] - Open question: [object Object] - Open question: [object Object] --- Canonical page: https://askthegrid.com/nyiso/assets/plant/covanta-hempstead Source: Ask the Grid — https://askthegrid.com/