Power from municipal waste

The centre plans to set up five new projects on energy recovery from municipal solid wastes.The programme will be implemented by the ministry of new and renewable energy and will seek to involve private participation.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today, union minister of new and renewable energy Dr Farooq Abdullah said the projects to be set up under the programme can be based on indigenous or imported technologies.

He said the programme provides for capital subsidy of Rs2 crore per MW with on upper limit of Rs10 crore per project.

Dr  Abdullah added that the benefits for customs and excise duty concessions will also be provided for projects based on municipal solid wastes.

The minister however added that no plants have so far been set up under scheme. However, four projects for power generation from municipal solid wastes have been set up in the past.

These are a 5 MW biomethanation technology project in Uttar Pradesh, two projects of 12.6 MW capacity based on refuse derived fuel combustion technology in Andhra Pradesh and, one 3.5-MW project based on incineration technology in Delhi.

Dr Abdullah said that the projects supported under the programme on energy from urban and industrial wastes have to necessarily deploy all the required emission control equipment and get approval from the pollution control authorities.