By Meghak Gupta 
The BMC will set up this plant jointly with Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), which is a Public Sector Undertaking of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will set up in Mumbai a bio-gas plant, which the civic body sources said is the “largest in Asia”, to scientifically treat the segregated wet-waste of the city into compressed bio-gas (CBG). Confirming the development, a senior civic body official, requesting anonymity, said that the proposal of setting up this plant came from Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
The BMC will set up this plant jointly with Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL), which is a Public Sector Undertaking of the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL).
Civic body sources stated that the plant will have a capacity to treat 1,000 tonnes of wet waste daily, making it Asia’s largest bio-gas plant. Earlier, in October, 2022, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri inaugurated a CBG plant in Sangrur district of Punjab, which will produce 33 tones of gas daily by treating 300 tonnes of paddy straw.
At present, Mumbai generates 6,000 tonnes of solid waste, out of which 3,500 tonnes are wet-waste, which includes damp, organic and degradable waste and remaining is dry-waste, which comprises non-degradable items like plastic. “The proposed plant will have a maximum capacity of treating 1,000 tonnes of wet waste every day, which will be nearly one-third of the daily wet waste that is generated in Mumbai on a daily basis. This will be the largest bio-gas plant in Asia in terms of treatment capacity and the basic idea behind setting up this plant is to recycle the city’s waste for an useful purpose,” said the Senior official.
“The basic idea behind setting up this plant is to make sure that there is in-situ production of gas supply. We had set up a small demonstration center of this plant in Haji Ali, but this is the first time such a large scale plant will be created in Mumbai for gas production,” the official said.
Civic body sources said that the BMC and MGL will be signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for constructing and operating this plant within the next few weeks.
The BMC will provide a land parcel for setting up the plant, while MGL will carry out the capital expenditure. Civic body sources stated that at present, three land parcels have been shortlisted in the eastern suburbs and the final decision will be taken before signing the final agreement. The plant will be operational within one year after the MoU is signed between the two parties.
BMC officials said that the civic body’s job will be to collect wet waste from sources, segregate them and then supply it to the plant, while the MGL will produce gas by treating the waste and supply it back to the city. According to the officials, at present, the solid waste management (SWM) department of the BMC is operating five vehicles in each municipal ward, that are transporting wet waste into the scientific treatment centers. “After this plant becomes operational, the quantum of waste that is being recycled will increase by a significant proportion,” an official said.
Meanwhile, the MGL representatives refused to comment unless the final draft of the MoU is finalised.