Waste-to-energy plant could start next month

May 20, 2016 12:00 am | Updated September 12, 2016 07:27 pm IST - NEW DELHI:

Years past its deadline, the Capital’s third waste-to-energy plant could be commissioned next month with the National Green Tribunal pressurising the North Delhi Municipal Corporation to start the facility.

Built at the Narela-Bawana landfill site, the plant will use 1,300 tonnes of garbage a day to produce 24 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

After the Timarpur-Okhla plant of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and the Ghazipur plant of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation, this will be the third such facility to tackle the Capital’s mounting solid waste problem.

The plant, which has been outsourced to the Ramky Group, was supposed to start functioning by November 2013, but disputes between the company and the civic body over sharing of revenue led to the delay. The project got rolling again earlier this year when the NGT ordered authorities to speed up the work.

On Thursday, leaders and officials of the North Corporation inspected the facility.

Planning ahead

Mayor Dr. Sanjeev Nayyar said that once operational, the plant would not only use the large amount of garbage already dumped at the site, but would keep mounds from forming.

“This plant will help reduce pressure at the Narela-Bawana and the Bhalswa landfills,” said Dr. Nayyar.

An associate vice-president of the Ramky Group, Mr. D.B.S.S.R. Sastry said the plant was yet to receive consent to operate from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, but was hoping to start work in June.

“We applied for the consent to operate on May 6. If all goes according to plan, we should start by the first week of June,” said Mr. Sastry.

The plant will work by first segregating garbage into different reusable components, including compost and refused-derived fuel (RDF).

The RDF is fed to boilers that produce steam, which is used to move a turbine that generates electricity.

Due to the delays, about 4.5 lakh tonnes of RDF has accumulated at the site. It would take three years for the plant to use it completely, said Mr. Sastry.

Apart from the Mayor, Standing Committee chairperson Mohan Prasad Bhardwaj, Leader of the House Vijay Prakash Pandey, incoming Standing Committee chairperson Pravesh Wahi and Commissioner Pravin Gupta inspected the plant.

At the site, they were caught off-guard by the Congress councillor from Bawana, Devender Kumar, and a group of locals who protested against the plant.

“We were assured that the plant would be in the basement level, and that there would be no garbage dump. But, today, the mountain of trash has grown and the stench is so bad that it is impossible for villagers to step out for a walk,” said Mr. Kumar.

After hearing the locals, the Mayor ordered officials to improve cleanliness and sanitation in the area, as well as offer jobs to the residents.

The plant, which was to start functioning by 2013, will reduce pressure on the Narela-Bawana and Bhalswa landfills

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.