The Kozhikode Corporation has sent a proposal to Partner Kerala Mission, the State government initiative for public-private-partnership projects under urban local self-governments, on the waste-to-energy plant.
Health standing committee chairman K.V. Baburaj said the agency would finalise the company that would execute the project. The corporation could not operate the project on its own and will only provide land for it at Njeliyanparamba. A team from the corporation had visited a plant in Pune where a similar project had been implemented. The civic body, however, would get a share of the revenue generated by selling power from the plant, he added.
Krishna Kumar, the then health inspector at the corporation, who prepared a detailed project report, said that there could be two options. A biogas plant could handle biodegradable waste such as meat.
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Ten tonnes of waste could produce 1,500 to 1,800 kV which can used to power 750 to 800 streetlights. Another unit could be to handle non-biodegradable waste through ‘gasification’. The first unit would cost an initial investment of only ₹2 crore and it could be recouped in six years. It could be set up within six months. The second option could be expensive as the plant would cost more than ₹200 crore and it would take around 15 years to break even. It would take around two years to set up the plant. “The Union government will give 35% funds for the project and the rest should be managed by the State government and the civic body,” Mr. Krishna Kumar added.