2,000-tonne waste-to-energy plant at Delhi's Tehkhand: Work may start by October

NEW DELHI: To accelerate disposal of municipal waste collected from neighbourhoods, Municipal Corporation of Delhi has set October as the deadline for commissioning of a new waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at Tehkhand. It will consume 2,000 tonnes of waste daily and generate 25 MW power.
The department of environment management services has chalked out a two-year plan for establishing facilities one by one to manage waste and stop dumping at landfills.
The erstwhile south corporation collects 3,600 tonnes of waste every day from four zones. Of this, 1,500 tonnes goes to the first WTE plant at Okhla, 200 tonnes at the composting plant and the remaining at the landfill site. The WTE plant at Okhla generates 21 MW power.
The Tehkhand plant, being developed for Rs 375 crore on 15 acres, is being constructed on the PPP model. The ministry of housing and urban affairs is issuing Rs 105 crore under Swachh Bharat Mission. "The operation of the plant is important as the Okhla landfill is not in a position to handle any more waste," said the official.
"Work on the engineered landfill site, which will accept rejects/inert of WTE plants, is also in progress. We have dedicated 27.3 acres for the purpose and it will be located next to the WTE plant at Tehkhand. We are likely to complete the project by March 2023. Other facilities will be added to avoid last-minute hassles. This includes a leachate treatment plant of 100 KLD and a weighbridge of 50 MT capacity for proper weightage of trucks/materials. The total cost of the project is 42.3 crore and it is being funded by Swachh Bharat Mission," said the official.
To conduct the composting exercise on a wider scale, the corporation is working on upgrading technology and increasing the capacity of its existing plant at Okhla by April 2023. "Recently, we upgraded the agreement for composting at Okhla landfill, which includes a change of technology for production of compost and generating bio-CNG after processing 300 TPD of biodegradable solid waste instead of 200 TPD. The capacity will be augmented to 500 TPD in the second phase, subject to availability of land," said the official.