BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Demonstrating a deeply held commitment to environmental sustainability, Veolia North America today hosted a celebration at its hazardous waste treatment center in Gum Springs, Arkansas, highlighting a series of unprecedented initiatives to make the plant the most sustainable operation of its kind in the U.S.
The October 9 ceremony put a spotlight on VNA’s commitment and investment in sustainability and workforce development at the Gum Springs operation, where a new state-of-the-art facility for the high-temperature thermal treatment of hazardous waste is set to open in 2025. To prepare for the new facility’s opening, VNA is protecting surrounding natural resources and supporting decarbonization strategies in carbon-intensive industries.
The sustainability features showcased at the ceremony include:
- A 5-megawatt solar panel installation, recently completed to provide a clean source of electricity at the plant. A ceremonial “Flip the Switch” activation will include leaders from VNA and Today’s Power Inc., which led construction of the installation.
- A forest management program, covering over 1,000 acres surrounding the facility, which includes over 600 acres of active reforestation and the planting of 100,000 trees in 2025. The ceremony will include the planting of the first tree sapling.
- A first-of-its-kind innovation for capturing heat to generate electricity. This feature will make use of a 7-megawatt steam turbine to generate power.
- Advanced technologies for monitoring wildlife and biodiversity near the facility. In partnership with the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) in Paris, France, a cutting-edge LEKO (Light Emission and Kinetic Observation) biodiversity monitoring tool is installed on the property, using sensors to listen, identify, and count species in the surrounding habitat.
“Together, these initiatives demonstrate Veolia's vision for creating a brighter future for the hundreds of communities in the U.S. and Canada where we provide essential environmental services in waste, water and energy,” said VNA President and CEO Fred Van Heems. “Veolia’s global GreenUp strategy for growth hinges on our commitment to providing innovative solutions for environmental challenges, and we are backing that commitment up through the work and vision we are carrying out at Gum Springs.”
Bob Cappadona, President and CEO of VNA’s Environmental Solutions and Services business, which oversees the Gum Springs operation, said: “The work we do at Gum Springs is consistent with the aspirations that we all have for a cleaner world and cleaner future for our children, because we provide the most scientifically proven method for managing complex waste materials in a way that protects our natural resources,” Cappadona said. “That’s why we are celebrating these pioneering initiatives with our colleagues and neighbors in Arkansas.”
Today’s Power Interim CEO John Elkins said the work done by the Today’s Power team to complete the solar field will contribute to a cleaner electricity delivery system in Central Arkansas. “Today’s Power Inc. is pleased to work with Veolia and the South Central Electric Cooperative to provide the 5MW solar facility to support their renewable energy needs. TPI is proud to have built this facility, and we look forward to a continued strong relationship with Veolia and South Central Electric Cooperative as the ongoing operator of the project.”
ABOUT VEOLIA
Veolia group aims to become the benchmark company for ecological transformation. Present on five continents with nearly 218,000 employees, the Group designs and deploys useful, practical solutions for the management of water, waste and energy that are contributing to a radical turnaround of the current situation. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, to preserve available resources and to renew them. In 2023, the Veolia group provided 113 million inhabitants with drinking water and 103 million with sanitation, produced 42 million megawatt hours of energy and treated 63 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 45,351 million euros in 2023. www.veolia.com
ABOUT VEOLIA NORTH AMERICA
A subsidiary of Veolia group, Veolia North America (VNA) is the top-ranked environmental company in the United States for three consecutive years, and the country’s largest private water operator and technology provider as well as hazardous waste and pollution treatment leader. It offers a full spectrum of water, waste, and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education, and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Veolia North America has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 350 locations across the continent.
ABOUT TODAY’S POWER INC.
Based in North Little Rock, Arkansas, Today's Power, Inc. was founded in 2014 by Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AECI) to support the 17 electric cooperatives across Arkansas in their renewable needs. Today TPI is an integral part of helping the electric cooperative and public power market as well as commercial customers of all sizes, with the company’s footprint expanding to cover a 7-state area, totaling over 75 solar sites to date.
