(THE NEWSMAN OF INDIA.COM)
A MoU was signed today on Waste to Energy plant at Okhla, Delhi, between Indian Oil, NTPC Ltd and South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). The ceremony was witnessed by the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan, RK Singh, Minister of State (I/c) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, and Anil Baijal, Lt. Governor of Delhi. Secretary, Petroleum and Natural Gas Tarun Kapoor,Sanjiv Singh, Chairman, IndianOil, Senior officials from the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, SDMC, NTPC Limited, and IndianOil were also present. Under the MoU, IndianOil, SDMC and NTPC shall come together to develop a demonstration Waste-to-energy Plant at Okhla landfill site in Delhi, using Gasification technology. This Plant shall process 17500 tons per annum of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) produced from combustible components of Municipal Waste to generate syngas which shall in turn be used to generate electricity.

Speaking on the occasion, Pradhan said that management of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a major issue in Delhi, and this Energy plant will open the path towards the solution. He congratulated IndianOil, SDMC and NTPC for coming together for this landmark project that has the potential to carve out a greener and more energy efficient future for the Atmanirbhar Bharat as envisioned by the Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi.Pradhan said that there is an existing model of providing offtake guarantee, under the SATAT scheme for compressed biogas production plants. He said that the venture would succeed, as there are guarantees from two Maharatna companies. He called for quick expansion and replication of such pilot project in other places also. The Minister said that gas generation from waste will also help in cutting imports of petroleum products and saving precious foreign exchange.Pradhan asked IOCL, NTPC to join hands with the Department of Science and Technology, to develop Hydrogen Fuel technology. India has large appetite for the energy, and development of Hydrogen technology can be done on the Commercial scale in the country.

R.K.Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi always talks about breaking silos and this is a good example of two ministries coming together, for a good public cause. The problem of Solid Municipal waste is rampant throughout the country, more so in Tier II and III cities. Large mounds of wastes are not only health hazards and environmental concerns, but also big eyesores. He said that the Ministry has taken a decision to support such plants, irrespective of the cost of the production of gas from them vis-à-vis other means. He said that technology being used in the Delhi plant, will not only result in less emission, but also provide usable residues.

Anil Baijal said that solid waste management is a big challenge in the national capital. On the one hand, there is a legacy of big mounds of waste accumulated over several decades, while on the other hand, there is not enough space for the current waste. The city has the capacity to process only half of its waste. The commissioning of such plants will not only provide a clean and environment-friendly way to handle solid wastes, but also generate gas and manure.