A nonprofit committee representing the solid waste interests of 115 Maine towns and cities announced a new partner that it hopes will help restart a recycling and waste-to-energy plant in Hampden. The Municipal Review Committee said it has a 60-day exclusivity agreement with Innovative Resource Recovery, a special purpose entity backed by a multibillion-dollar asset management firm to restart operations at the Municipal Waste Solutions plant.
The plant closed in 2020 for financial reasons, and the MRC has been working since then to reopen it. The agreement should enable Innovative to conduct its due diligence in the partnership, and for the MRC and Innovative to negotiate documents before an anticipated closing by June 2, according to a statement MRC issued to the news media. Karen Fussell, president of the MRC board of directors, said in the announcement that MRC is excited to have selected a partner to help restart the plant. “Innovative’s vision for the facility aligns with that of the MRC and they have the resources needed to restart the plant in a timely manner,” she said.