June 1: As cities grow and create more garbage, disposal of the waste has become a big problem for municipal corporations around the country, including the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. So the trend to generate power from garbage, thus keeping cities clean, saving municipal bodies money, and increasing power capacity in a power-hungry city, can only be welcomed.
The waste to electricity project will mean a saving of nearly Rs 200 crore per annum for the GHMC, the amount it spends on collection, transportation, dumping and disposal of 3,500 metric tonnes of garbage generated every day in the city, which will now be done by private operators. The privately owned waste-to-energy plants will make money by converting the municipal solid waste into useful energy (electricity). GHMC has signed an agreement to supply 700 metric tonnes of garbage to Selco power plant at Shadnagar, another 700 metric tonnes per day to RDF Power Plant at Bibinagar, 700 metric tonnes to Sri Venkateshwara Green Power Project Ltd. at Ibrahimpatnam and the remaining to Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd. at Jawaharnagar. What’s more, the Tata Power Trading Company, a giant in the private power sector, has come forward to purchase the power generated by RDF and Sri Venkateshwara power plants. Selco already has an agreement with APTransco, and Ramky is all set to finalise its power purchase agreement with a private company. Urban development experts and environmentalists have welcomed the waste to energy route for garbage disposal. As private companies stand to make crores of rupees, they will ensure that no garbage is left on the streets, and that it is collected and supplied to them for production of power every day.
Eminent environmentalist Mr K. Purushotham Reddy said: “The sate government should set up a mechanism to monitor that the remains of the garbage, after energy is produced, is disposed off in a scientific manner. Let’s hope the private garbage power plants project is successful and Greater Hyderabad becomes a more eco-friendly city.” Venkateshwara Projects will take 700 metric tonnes of garbage daily from GHMC and produce nearly 2 lakh power units per day, according to its executive director Mr N.S.R. Naidu. The 12 MW garbage power plant of Venkateshwara will be operational soon.
The 11 MW waste-to-energy plant of RDF Power Projects Pvt. Ltd. at Bibinagar has already signed a power purchase agreement with Tata Power, which will buy power at Rs 3.60 per unit. The plant will produce 2 lakh units of power every day. The SELCO power plant at Shadnagar and Sriram Energy Systems Pvt. Ltd. at Vijayawada, were the first in the country to start producing power out of garbage. They have a long-term agreement with APTransco to purchase power from them.
In fact, all metropolitan cities are now promoting garbage power plants as not only a solution to dispose of garbage in an environmentally sound way but also to turn a profit while doing so.
Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd.’s project director, Ms Padmaja, said that the company’s Rs 897 crore integrated solid waste management project in Greater Hyderabad will not only set up the garbage power plant but also establish a sorting plant, compost units and leachate sumps at the Jawaharnagar dumping yard.
These three main components of the project will gradually put an end to air and ground water pollution besides allowing the segregation of garbage at the dumping yard if not at the doorsteps of citizens. Leachate sumps will suck the liquid from the garbage while the sorting plant will segregate materials that are harmful to the environment and those that can be sent for recycling or to compost units. The GHMC additional commissioner, health and sanitation, Mr S.K. Aleem Basha, said the demand for supply of garbage to the private power plants is increasing. “All the agreements are in place for supply of 3,500 metric tonnes of garbage to the power plants. One power plant has recently urged us to increase their quota from 700 metric tonnes to 1,000 metric tonnes of garbage per day,” he said.
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