Maine Energy Works For Maine | The Truth About Maine Energy

Economy

Maine Energy works for Maine’s Economy

Maine Energy provides close-to-home, competitive waste disposal fees to Maine’s towns and cities, businesses and residents.
Each year, Maine Energy spends over $10 million in Maine on goods and services.
Maine Energy pays over $800,000 annually in property taxes to Biddeford, and $1.2 million in direct economic benefit to the city.
Maine Energy generates clean, renewable, home-grown electricity economically — enough power for over 20,000 homes and businesses every day.

MERC Economics

Energy

Maine Energy produces reusable energy, lessening our dependence on coal and foreign oil.

The total electricity generated by Maine Energy has reduced the need for foreign oil by 4.6 million barrels.
Every day Maine Energy produces enough electricity to power 20,000 homes with renewable energy.

MERC energy facts

Environment

Maine Energy is crucial to Maine’s Environmental Infrastructure.

Each year, 37 Maine communities deliver 148,000 tons of waste to Maine Energy.
By using solid waste as fuel to generate electricity, Maine Energy has saved over 4.5 million cubic yards of Maine’s limited landfill space.
Maine Energy has recycled over 135,000 tons of metal, saving energy and landfill space, and lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

MERC Environmental

Jobs

Maine Energy Produces a Valuable Resource — Good Paying Local Jobs.

80 people (including 65 skilled union professionals) go to work at Maine Energy every day, making a living and serving their community.
Maine Energy’s payroll has an important impact on the Saco-Biddeford region, generating over $15 million in economic activity annually.
Maine Energy provides employees and their families health care and other benefits in excess of $1.5 million each year.

MERC provides jobs

History

Why was MERC built?

In the late 1980’s, the State of Maine adopted a landfill diversion and waste management hierarchy strategy which was aimed at significantly reducing the State’s reliance on landfilling as a waste disposal solution. This landfill diversion strategy in conjunction with critical energy needs drove the creation of a state-wide policy and resulted in over 65% of Maine’s disposal capacity being accomplished through renewable waste-to-energy facilities.

Early History

The facility was originally proposed in the early 1980’s in response to the previous energy crisis and the State of Maine policy decision to divert waste from landfills and to establish a waste disposal hierarchy away from landfilling and toward recycling, and waste-to-energy technology.

15 Maine communities entered into 20-year waste handling agreements for disposal of local waste which would have otherwise been directed to state landfills.
Of these 15 communities, all but 1 extended their contracts upon expiration of the original term… most were extended for an additional 20-year term.

The history of MERC

Numbers

Numbers Don't Lie.

Out of every three odor complaints received by Biddeford, the number that were attributable to Maine Energy:

1

Number of Maine Energy odors above Biddeford’s allowable level (the strictest in Maine):

1

Number of Maine Energy violations of Biddeford’s Air Toxics ordinance:

0

Fines paid by Maine Energy to Biddeford for odor violations:

$0

Amount invested by Maine Energy in emissions and odor control technology:

$3,000,000

Number of homes powered by electricity generated by Maine Energy:

20,000

Barrels of foreign, non-renewable oil saved by Maine Energy:

4,600,000

Cubic yards of irreplaceable landfill space saved by Maine Energy:

4,500,000

Odor Facts