Waste to Energy plant starts functioning in Vizag

GVMC mulling to procure waste from Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts

The Waste to Energy Recycling Plant, a flagship project of the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), has begun functioning at Kapuluppada in Visakhapatnam, GVMC Commissioner G. Lakshmisha said on Tuesday after a meeting with representatives from Jindal Urban Infrastructure Limited.

Mr. Lakshmisha said that as of now, the plant is generating about 9.90 MW of power per day using one boiler. Soon, another boiler will be deployed into service, he said. According to an agreement reached between Jindal Group and the GVMC, up to 15 MW of electricity would be generated per day at the recycling plant.

“The GVMC is providing 940 tonnes of solid waste to the recycling plant after collecting it from households. In order to generate 15 MW of power, we need to provide about 1,200 tonnes of waste per day. The corporation is mulling to transport 260 tonnes of waste from Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Nellimarla municipalities. Proposals are being prepared for this,” Mr. Lakshmisha said.

It may be remembered that on February 2016, the GVMC had entered into an agreement with Jindal Group for the project. In December 2018, the GVMC had given 17.08 acres of land at Kapuluppada for the establishment of the plant. As per the agreement, the GVMC will supply Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) gathered from various households to the facility on a daily basis and also bear the transportation costs. The company would generate 15 MW of power from the solid waste.

The officials had missed several deadlines for operating this project due to issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The trial run for the project was conducted during October 2021.

Meanwhile, having a functioning waste to energy plant is believed to give a big boost to the GVMC ahead of the Swachh Survekshan 2022 survey. The GVMC officials opine that the recyling plant, along with a Construction & Demolition (C&D) unit, may help it get a high score compared to other Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the State.