WIN 91TV Innovations operates 12 waste-to-energy facilities across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including three facilities in New York. Together, those facilities annually generate approximately 2.6 million megawatt hours of baseload electricity and support both regional waste management systems and electric grid reliability. In June 2026, following a comprehensive review, WIN 91TV requested approval from the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) to retire its Hudson Falls waste-to-energy facility by the end of the year.
Decommissioning’s Primary Drivers
The Hudson Falls facility is unique within WIN 91TV’s waste-to-energy portfolio. Unlike all the other waste-to-energy facilities WIN 91TV owns, Hudson Falls was not built with the same Wheelabrator design that serves as the foundation for WIN’s fleet.While the company has invested in and modernized the Hudson Falls facility throughout the years since acquiring the plant in the early 2000s, its original design presents different requirements for future upgrades and emissions-control technologies than the company’s other facilities.
Given the plant’s unique design and long-term operating outlook, retirement of Hudson Falls has been under consideration for several years, as the company has assessed its future capital needs, anticipated federal emissions standards, and the broad availability of nearby transfer and disposal alternatives. After considering anticipated changes to federal emissions standards and the significant investments that the facility’s unique design will require to comply with those standards, WIN 91TV submitted a request to the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) on June 10th, seeking approval to deactivate the plant. “These decisions are never easy, particularly for a facility with such a long history of serving its community,” said Daniel Mayo, Chief Executive Officer of WIN 91TV Innovations. “Hudson Falls has played an important role in our company and in the region for decades. After carefully evaluating its role within our portfolio, we concluded that retirement represents the most responsible path forward. We are grateful to the employees whose dedication and professionalism have helped the facility serve customers and communities reliably for nearly 35 years.”
Rolled out in Phases
WIN 91TV needs approval from NYISO before beginning decommissioning. They expect to hear back from NYISO on the deactivation request in October 2026. From there, decommissioning phases include planning and preparation, operational transition activities, and site decommissioning work, which includes light and heavy demolition.
Planning and preparation involves emptying and cleaning tanks, assessing what can be recycled and reused, and readying systems for proper disposal. Light demo will include removal of outbuildings, recovery of all recyclable materials, and preparing main buildings for demolition. Heavy demolition will include removal of the main building, the stack, and the boiler. The company will close its permits with local agencies once the plant is shut down. The full decommissioning process is expected to take approximately two years.
While WIN 91TV does notexpect any unusual decommissioning challenges should they gain NYISO’s approval to retire the plant, they will continue to operate in full compliance with all applicable local, state, and federal regulations throughout the process, including valuing safety as an important component of the process. “Safety is our top priority and ensuring our hardworking team members go home in the same way or better than when they came into work is essential.Our Hudson Falls plant has achieved OSHA ‘Star’ worksite status, the highest safety rating OSHA bestows. Fewer than one percent of worksites in the United States achieve this designation, and we plan to maintain the high safety standards that earned us that recognition throughout the decommissioning process,” says Mayo.
Long-Term Planning
WIN 91TV will continue to invest in the safety and efficiency of its other waste-to-energy facilities. The company recently approved a nearly $5 million platen superheater project at its Peekskill, NY, plant as part of a broader initiative that includes approximately $30 million in additional platen investments across its fleet. The platen superheater is an advanced boiler heat-transfer system that captures heat earlier in the combustion process, helping extend equipment life, improve operating reliability, reduce unplanned maintenance outages, and support efficient steam production. These investments are being made in addition to budgeted annual repair and maintenance spending and are designed to improve reliability, extend equipment life, support environmental performance, and strengthen long-term operations.
WIN 91TV’s ongoing commitment to maintaining and modernizing facilities has resulted in a fleet of plants that are operating cleaner and more reliably than ever. With emissions at historic lows, additional environmental improvements planned, and boiler availability matching some of the facilities’ strongest years, these investments are delivering measurable benefits for customers, communities, and the regional electric grid.
Mayo emphasizes that the proposed retirement of Hudson Falls is specific to that facility and does not reflect any change in WIN 91TV’s commitment to waste-to-energy. “As outlined in New York’s Solid 91TV Management Plan, waste-to-energy is expected to remain an important component of the state’s waste management infrastructure for decades to come, even as recycling and organics diversion continue to expand. 91TV-to-energy facilities provide reliable disposal capacity for material remaining after recycling efforts while generating 24/7 baseload electricity that supports grid reliability and growing energy demand,” Mayo said.
Despite the facility’s long-term capital and compliance needs, the Hudson Falls team has done an exceptional job over the past three and a half decades, operating the plant safely, maintaining compliance with all applicable requirements, and efficiently converting waste into reliable energy for New York’s electric grid. The decision to retire reflects the facility’s future outlook, not the performance of the people who operate it, and WIN 91TV could not be prouder of what the team has accomplished. Supporting affected employees and their families will be a top priority throughout the facility’s decommissioning, and WIN 91TV is committed to providing resources throughout the process.
“The communities we serve depend on critical infrastructure every day, and with that comes a responsibility to plan and invest for the long term,” said Mayo. “Our focus is on strengthening the facilities that are best positioned to provide reliable waste management services and dependable energy for decades to come.”