PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Covanta plans to close its Hubbard Avenue facility in March.

 

Spokesman James Regan said the company plans to halt operations of the energy-from-waste facility in March of 2017. The plant has been operating in Pittsfield since 1981 on 5.8 acres on Hubbard Avenue.

 

"This tough decision was made based on upon current economic conditions facing the facility," Regan said in an e-mail on Friday.

 

"High operating costs and the size of the facility have made it increasingly difficult to run the plant profitably."

 

Regan said that while the plan is to cease operations at the facility next year, the company is continuing to evaluate opportunities to improve the economic viability of it.

 

The closure impacts 25 employees, who will be offered post-employment severance benefits, Regan said.

 

The plant is next to Crane & Company, which purchases steam for energy generated from the plant. The plant processes some 240 tons of waste from residential and businesses throughout the region, which is turned into 450 million pounds of steam and 3.5 kilowatt hours of electricity.

 

The facility also serves as a disposal location for the city's trash pick up. Republic Services picks up the trash and then transfers it to Covanta. The company also accepts commercial and residential disposals.

 

"In March, we notified our employees and steam customer, Crane Paper, regarding our intention to cease operations next year and will work with the City of Pittsfield to find a new disposal outlet for the city's waste," Regan wrote.

 

"With the one-year notification, we wanted to make sure to give our business partners and customers enough time to make the appropriate arrangements for the future."

 

The company operates three types of waste plants - transfer stations, material processing, and energy-from-waste. Pittsfield's energy-from-waste facility is one of the oldest in the country and is used as an alternative to landfills for non-hazardous waste.

 

The company is also closing a number of facilities across the nation, from Maine to California. 

 

The local facility was built by Vicon Construction Company, Inc. which was affiliated with Enercon Systems Inc. The city had sought out a facility for trash and at the same time Crane & Co. was identified as a buyer for the energy. It went into operation in 1981 and in 1994 it was sold to Energy Answers.

 

In 2007, Covanta Energy Corporation purchased Energy Answers and the facility. Covanta has operated it since.

 

At this point it is not clear what will happen to the facility after it ends operations, Crane & Co.'s energy needs, or the city of Pittsfield's trash disposal.