Goa: ₹500 crore waste plant at Verna to generate 16 MW power – EQ Mag Pro
The Goa Waste Management Corporation (GMWC) said that a waste to energy plant will be set up at Verna at an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore and will generate 16MW electricity and 38MW heat while processing 250 tonne waste per day (TPD).
The project is first of its kind in Goa and since the non-biodegradable waste is continuously generated the project will sustain itself, a senior government officer said. The electricity department will procure the power and the steam generated at the plant and will be supplied to industries to be utilised in manufacturing processes, the officer said.
“The objective of the plant is to generate electricity and steam from the non-biodegradable waste by adopting environment-friendly processes and the outcome of the project include long-term management of non-biodegradable waste without harming the environment,” the officer said.
The non-biodegradable waste is stored in sheds in the panchayat jurisdiction, where the recyclable fraction of non-biodegradable waste is recovered and sent for recycling. The non-recyclable waste is stored in the shed and is collected by the GWMC. The corporation then bales this non-recyclable waste and sends it to various cement plants in Karnataka to be used as fuel alternative in kilns thus making it Refuse Derived Fuels (RDF). Approximately 2.1 lakh tonnes of RDF has been transported to cement plants till May 2022.
“The cost of transportation of such RDF is almost Rs 1,000 per tonne. The state is fully dependent on the Karnataka-based cement plants for the disposal of RDF,” a senior officer said.
The officer said that if there is a direction in the near future by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board for stoppage of transportation of interstate waste, it will lead to accumulation of RDF in the water bodies and thereby affect the aquatic life and also the flora and fauna. So in order to have our own facility in Goa, it is proposed to establish a 250 TPD waste to energy plant.
The GWMC has already approached the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) seeking environmental clearance (EC) to set up the plant. It will be the fourth waste treatment plant in the state.
The plant at Verna will cater to the waste generated in Mormugao taluka and in some parts of Salcete taluka. The plant will be set up in an area of 1 lakh sqm and the environment impact study for the plant has already been done.
Source: PTI
