NTPC firm to build two waste-to-charcoal plants in Haryana
Based in Gurugram and Faridabad, the two plants will be built with a cost of Rs 500 each to consume the city waste generated on a daily basis and generating green energy simultaneously.
Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (NVVNL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of NTPC, will be developing waste-to-charcoal plants at the Gurugram’s Bandhwari landfill site and Faridabad’s Motuka in the coming 30 months. These plants are also known as green coal plants and each will be costing Rs 500 crore.
An MoU was signed in Chandigarh between NVVNL and the municipal corporations of Gurgaon and Faridabad in the presence of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and Union Minister for Housing, Urban Affairs, and Power Manohar Lal Khattar.
The two plants will process a total of 2,700 tonnes of waste daily, with 1,500 tonnes from Gurgaon and 1,200 tonnes from Faridabad. The municipal corporations will provide 20 acres of land each to NVVNL for the plant setups. At Bandhwari, the plant will be built at the site initially designated for a waste-to-energy plant.
The Haryana Chief Minister held that the plants will not only offer a permanent solution to the waste problem but also boost energy production.
NVVNL has stipulated that the solid waste delivered to the plants must exclude inert waste and other types such as construction and demolition (C&D) waste, hospital and bio-hazardous waste, asbestos, electronic waste, and heavy metals. The agreement mandates the corporations to supply as much dry waste as possible. This presents a challenge since mixed waste is currently transported to Bandhwari.
Additionally, the corporations must secure environmental clearance from the Union Environment Ministry for the plants.
This initiative comes amid a solid waste management crisis, with the state government having declared a solid waste emergency in Gurgaon due to “alarming” levels of untreated garbage under the Disaster Management Act, 2005.
NTPC has already operationalised a similar plant in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, that produces charcoal from 600 tonnes of waste daily. NVVNL CEO Renu Narang said that the two new plants in Haryana will be the largest in India, each processing 1,500 tonnes of waste daily.
