'Delhi's waste-to-energy plant has the potential to carve out a greener future': Pradhan

The Indian Oil Corporation, National Thermal Power Corporation, and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Tuesday signed an MoU to develop a waste-to-energy facility at Okhla landfill site using gasification technology. This plant will process 17,500 tons per annum of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) produced from combustible components of municipal waste to generate syngas which shall in turn be used to generate electricity.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, MoS RK Singh, and Anil Baijal, Lt. Governor of Delhi, along with senior officials.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said that the management of  MSW is a major issue in Delhi, and this plant will open the path towards the solution. He congratulated Indian Oil, SDMC and NTPC for coming together for this project that "has the potential to carve out a greener and more energy-efficient future for the Atmanirbhar Bharat as envisioned by PM Narendra Modi".

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Venture would succeed

Pradhan said that there is an existing model of providing offtake guarantee, under the SATAT scheme for compressed biogas production plants. He said the venture would succeed as there are guarantees from two Maharatna companies and called for quick expansion and replication of such pilot projects in other cities.

The Minister said gas generation from waste will also help in cutting imports of petroleum products and saving precious foreign exchange. Pradhan asked IOCL, NTPC to join hands with the Department of Science and Technology, to develop Hydrogen Fuel technology. India has a large appetite for energy, and the development of Hydrogen technology can be done on a commercial scale in the country.

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Gasification of waste

The problem of solid municipal waste is rampant throughout the country, more so in Tier II and III cities. Large mounds of wastes are not only health hazards and environmental concerns, but also big eyesores. The Centre has committed to supporting such plants, irrespective of the cost of the production of gas from them vis-à-vis other means.

Gasification is a process for converting solid or liquid feedstock, in this case, waste, into a gaseous or liquefied fuel that can be burned to release energy. With this technology, one ton of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) can be used to produce up to 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, a much more efficient and cleaner way to utilize this source of energy.

(Image credit: Twiter/@dpradhanbjp)

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