Mumbai: Deonar waste-to-energy plant still a distant dream

A man segregates garbage at Deonar dumping ground. File pic

The long battle to set up the waste-to-energy plant at Deonar, Mumbai's biggest dumping ground, is not over yet. One year after awarding the contract to set up the facility to a firm, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has finally received the environmental clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). The procedure to get the environmental clearance from the Central government is in progress.

The civic body is also looking for a consultant for the project and will again float tenders for the same. The BMC has been trying to develop the waste-to-energy plant at Deonar for seven years. The civic body ideated the project in 2014, and after tendering, re-tendering and restructuring of ideas, it finally received bids in May 2019. The standing committee gave its clearance to give the work order to M/s Chennai MSW Pvt Ltd at the cost of Rs 1,020 crore in November 2020.

The civic body then submitted a proposal before SEIAA seeking environmental clearance for the waste-to-energy plant with a capacity of processing 600 tonnes of garbage and generating 4 megawatts (MW) of electricity daily. It finally received the nod after much opposition from the locals during the online suggestions/objections meeting in April. "The SEIAA gave us the nod for environmental clearance in October. Now, we have to make a presentation for the environmental clearance from the Central government," said Minesh Pimple, deputy chief engineer, solid waste management (projects). While projects that generate less than 15 MW energy do not require environmental clearance, this project requires one as the ash left after generating energy will be landfilled in Deonar itself.

"Now that we have received clearance from the state authority, we will proceed with a process to get environmental clearance from the Centre. Meanwhile, primary procedures like soil testing have started at the site," said Sangita Hasnale, deputy municipal commissioner of solid waste management department.

In addition to the Central nod, the contractor also needs Maharashtra Pollution Control Board's NOC to start the project.

In April 2013, the high court had directed the BMC to close Deonar and Mulund dumping grounds as the corporation did not have plans to treat the waste. The last extension to continue the Deonar site was given till December 2019. Though the BMC tabled a proposal to award the contract for the plant for Rs 1,020 crore in February 2020, it took eight months for it to be sanctioned due to internal issues and the lockdown. Once the process starts, it will take 40 months for the plant to be fully operational. The contractor will operate the facility for 15 years and the energy will be used for BMC's services.

The procedure of inviting global expressions of interest for another waste-to-energy plant to process 1,200-1,800 metric tonnes of waste is also going slow.

No response to consultancy tender

The BMC plans to appoint a Project Management Consultant (PMC) for detailed designs, monitoring and supervision of construction work of the Deonar waste-to-energy plant and floated tender accordingly. "The consultant will be responsible for coordination and supervision during the three-and-a-half year construction period and 15 years of operation and maintenance. But there wasn't any response so the corporation will re-tender it after modifying some of the conditions," said a civic official. The consultant could cost the BMC around Rs 40 crore.

Rs 1,020
Cost of the project in crores