The strict sanitary conditions employed at all stages of processing mean that substantial quantities of electric power are consumed - as high as 9.5 MW in summer months.
Processing also requires hot water and steam.
Until recently, the hot water was produced by various interconnected equipment. Both of Wassens' goals found a catalyst in 1997, with the news of possible future restrictions on the emission of greenhouse gases. Maple Lodge found its existing boilers wouldn't meet the new performance levels. Wassens and his Maple Lodge team established their cogeneration needs. The installation was supervised by Energy Engineering and was completed in 1998.