The Hindu 15.11.2013
Now, power from vegetable waste
Corporation to build the first plant at Kavundampalayam.
In an effort aimed at processing degradable waste and also generating power, the Coimbatore Corporation has mooted a proposal to generate power from waste obtained from vegetable markets in the city.
A resolution adopted at the Corporation’s Urgent Council meeting on Thursday said that through the biomethanation process the Corporation would built waste-to-energy plants of various capacities — depending on the quantity of waste generated, which could vary from three to 10 tonnes.
The Corporation would build the plants with its fund or go in for public private partnerships to construct the plants.
On a pilot basis, the Corporation would build the first plant at the proposed vegetable market in Kavundampalayam.
After estimating the quantity of garbage generated at five tonnes, the Corporation had proposed to construct a bio-methanation-cum-power generation plant. It had floated an e-tender on July 18, 2013. As there was only one bidder, the Corporation was forced to cancel the tender and float a second on September 18. The second attempt saw bids from two players. Of those, the Corporation’s tender scrutiny committee had decided to award the tender to a Pune-based engineering company which that quoted Rs. 89 lakh for the construction of the plant and Rs. 72 lakh for a seven-year maintenance period.
The Council approved of the resolution.
Similarly, it also decided to seek expression of interest from companies for process plastic waste. A resolution adopted in this regard said that to explore the possibilities of processing the plastic waste to manufacture other products, the Corporation would like to invite companies with the necessary technologies. It was imperative to do so because the segregated collection of waste in Ward 23 had yielded plastic waste that could be processed.
Plus, as the Corporation was about to extend the segregated collection system under the Shunya zero waste management scheme, there was every possibility that the quantity of plastics so collected would go up.
Along with the two waste management proposals, the Corporation also decided to seek the State Government’s administrative sanction for the 24X7 water supply scheme, handover roads to the State Highways Department for constructed of road-over bridges and accept the bids for constructing a foot-over bridge near the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital junction.
