BMC woos foreign companies to set up waste-to-energy plants in city

After failing to effectively implement garbage treatment facilities at its dumping grounds, the civic administration is looking to foreign companies to set up waste-to-energy plants in the city.

The BMC will invite proposals from companies across the world to set up plants in order to treat the 6,500 metric tonnes of waste generated.

"Foreign companies have shown interest in undertaking such a project. We will invite an expression of interest from them and study the proposal," said Prakash Patil, deputy municipal commissioner, solid waste management, adding that "companies from South Korea, Germany and France are world-renowned in such technologies and have shown interest."

While a waste-to-energy incineration plant uses heat from combustion of waste to generate steam in boilers and the steam in turn drives turbines linked to generators to produce electricity, a gasification plant is an alternative to mass burn incineration that disposes of garbage and toxic contaminants while minimising emissions, said an official.

"The initial plan is to set up these plants in the three dumping grounds at Kanjurmarg, Deonar and Mulund," said a senior civic official, who admitted the BMC's plan to set up a methanisation plant was not yielding the desired results largely due to the failure of the companies that are given these contracts.

To find alternatives to ease the burden on dumping grounds, the civic administration had approached steel conglomerate Jindal Group to set up a waste-to-energy plant. The BMC has approached Jindal Ecopolis - a subsidiary of steel major Jindal SAW Ltd - to set up a waste incineration plant at one of its three dumping grounds.

"We have approached the company as they have successfully implemented such a plant in Delhi. Also, if any foreign company plans to set up the plant in the city, they would have to do it in a joint venture with an Indian company," said a civic official.

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