The Indian Express              05.06.2013

In a first, waste-to-energy plant built with Chinese technology

China has extended technological help to build the first of its kind waste-to-energy plant in Narela Bawana, North Municipal Corporation announced on Tuesday.

Private concessionaire Ramky, which is investing hundreds of crores into the plant, claimed that the new technology would help them keep the landfill sites from overflowing.

"We will incinerate the waste collected from home and use it to make electricity. With the regular process, residue measures up to 25 per cent of the waste. But with our technology, the residue will be 5-10 per cent, which will give the landfill sites greater life," a Ramky representative said.

"We have dug pits and ensured that waste will not pollute underground water. We have also taken permissions to incinerate the waste," the representative said.

The project, to be developed on the PPP model, will operate on a Build Operate Transfer basis for 20 years.

The Ramky representative claimed that plant, built over 100 acres, is the first of its kind in India. The project is expected to be completed by August 31 and will start energy production by November. According to corporation officials, it will initially generate 13 MW of electricity from 1300 TPD of garbage, but its capacity will be enhanced to 35 MW electricity from 4000 TPD of waste. Only 10 per cent of the garbage will be used for composting and rest will be converted to energy.

"A GPS system to monitor cleaning and transportation of garbage to the landfill sites will be provided, so that anyone can upload photographs of the same. Residents will be able to keep a check on cleanliness of their area online. Possibilities are also being explored to see if ash can be used to make roads and bricks," P K Gupta, commissioner of North Corporation, said.

Gupta also asked the agency to speed up the projects on solid waste management. "The progress made during the last four years is not as per expectations. It should perform to the satisfaction of the residents," he said.