The Chennai Corporation has taken another step towards setting up solid waste management plants in Minjur and Kuthambakkam.
The request for proposal (RFP) for setting up the plants, each of which can process 2,500 tonnes of waste per day, will be made shortly. Some of the 18 companies that have been shortlisted for RFP stage will be screened by the civic body for the final decision on setting up such facilities. The civic body will supply the municipal solid waste from the city limits to each of the plants which will process the waste.
The civic body had already identified a few pieces of land, of which the two villages have been found suitable for the project.
These localities on the outskirts of Chennai have been identified based on the study done by consultants and civic body officials with the support of district administration of Tiruvallur.
A 42-acre plot of land in Vallur Village of Minjur is likely to be used for one of the solid waste management plants. The other plant will be set up in a 100-acre piece of land in Kuthambakkam village. Following a round of discussions on the solid waste management plants, the civic body has decided to modify some of the templates submitted by the consultant to suit the local conditions in the two villages as part of making the project more environment-friendly.
The civic body is in the process of putting in place a system to ensure that the solid waste management company adheres to stringent environmental norms for processing of waste. The Corporation Council will also hold discussions on these issues shortly. As many as 31 companies expressed interest in March to participate in the massive solid waste management initiative for the city. Most of the 18 companies that have been shortlisted have world-class technology to design and commission a scalable and modular plant with a future capacity to process larger quantities of municipal solid waste. Initially, the civic body sought technology that included the design of a scalable and modular plant with a future capacity of processing 10,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day.
The waste-to-energy plants as part of the project will, however, materialise only if a power purchase agreement gets finalised. The solid waste management plants are likely to be a stepping stone for the gradual remediation and scientific closure of the Perungudi and Kodungaiyur dumpyards.
Efforts are under way to put in place a foolproof system for treating the large quantities of leachate, which will form 15 per cent of the municipal solid waste.
