The city’s waste, if segregated and used for generating energy, will be able to provide around 12 mega watts (MW) of power to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which can be used by the civic agency as captive power to address its electricity needs, according to a report by TERI.
Commissioned at the request of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), the report deals with the municipal solid waste collection methods in the city and tries to fix a tariff for energy generated from waste. Taking into account two major processes for waste to energy — biomethanation and incineration — the report says that the BBMP can look at establishing a waste to energy plant handling 600 Tonnes Per Day to generate 21 MW of power.
This power can be used for powering streetlights and other offices of the civic body, which currently owe around Rs. 250 crore to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom). Excess power left over can also be sold to the distribution company at a tariff fixed by the KERC. According to the report, the cost of setting up an incineration plant would be Rs. 200 crore while a biomethanation plant would require an investment of Rs. 216 crore.
“There are a lot of benefits for all these processes. We have been trying to push waste segregation at source as it is the best way. Transport costs have to be considered when you go for options like incineration which are centralised,” said Kalpana Kar, member, Solid Waste Management Expert Committee.
With obvious benefits, the BBMP is considering waste to energy as a serious option. “We are in the process of speaking to various stakeholders.
“Waste to energy is a good concept and if feasible, we will implement it,” said BBMP Commissioner G. Kumar Naik.
According to a report, the city’s waste can
generate 12 MW of electricity
