Narela gets India’s largest solid wastetoenergy plant

POWER BOOST Plant will produce 24MW of electricity daily, will help city fight electricity and garbage problems

We are trying to bring about scientific solutions for disposal of solid waste in over 4,000 cities by 2019. We have made it compulsory for power discoms to purchase electricity from wastetoenergy plants.

The North Delhi Municipal Corporation launched the country’s largest waste-to-energy plant at NarelaBawana on Friday, which officials expect will process more than 20% of the trash generated in the national capital.

The plant is also expected to augment the city’s power supply.

Union ministers Venkaiah Naidu and Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the project at the north corporation’s headquarters at Civic Centre on Friday.

According to officials, the plant will use 2,000 metric tonnes of waste daily to generate around 24MW of energy. It is expected to serve the dual purpose of providing respite from the growing garbage menace in the city as well as generate electricity.

“Garbage management is one of the bigger challenges in the country that can be resolved only with change of mindset. We are trying to bring about scientific solutions for disposal of solid waste in over 4,000 cities by 2019. We have made it compulsory for power discoms to purchase electricity from waste-toenergy plants at ₹7.08 per unit. But we need mass support to making the effort successful,” Union minister of urban development Venkaiah Naidu said.

Every day, Delhi generates 8,670 metric tonnes of waste. Out of this, there is a provision to treating only 4,200 metric tonnes of waste. The rest gets dumped at landfills. Out of the four dumping grounds in the city, three — Bhalswa (north Delhi), Ghazipur (east Delhi) and Okhla (south Delhi) — are already packed to capacity. The landfill at NarelaBawana, the first “scientifically” engineered site in Delhi, is the only that has some space left still.

The integrated project at Narela Bawana sprawls over 100 acres and has facility for engineered landfill site, composting, segregating garbage with refused derived fuel (which can be burnt to generate electricity) and converting waste-to-energy.

“Right from collection of waste till the generation of electricity, everything can be done here now,” said PK Gupta, commissioner

of north corporation.

The plant has been developed on public private partnership by Ramky Group, a Hyderabadbased waste management company, through an agreement with the north civic body.

As per the agreement, the electricity generated from the plant will be sold by the concessionaire.

“Wegenerate55milliontonnes of garbage and 38 billon tonnes of sewer (liquid waste) every day. This could be utilised for generat- ing at least 2,000 mega watt of energy. In fact, this kind of project could have been developed 24 years ago,” said Vardhan.

The tendering for the plant at Narela- Bawana was done in 2009.

Later, it was decided that a waste-to-energy plant will be installed at the site as well. But due to a dispute between the north corporation and Ramky Group over alleged violation of the agreement signed, the project couldn’t be initiated. Work resumed after the National Green Tribunal stepped in December 2016.