Sonsoddo gasification plant inauguration on Thursday

Margao: After missing several deadlines, chief minister Pramod Sawant is scheduled to inaugurate the gasification-based waste treatment plant at Sonsoddo, Margao, on Thursday.

The plant employs gasification technology to convert waste into fly ash suitable for brick manufacturing. Trial runs are currently under way ahead of the inauguration.

The Margao Municipal Council (MMC) signed a tripartite agreement with the Goa Energy Development Agency (GEDA) and Pune-based GD Environmental Pvt Ltd on Nov 5, 2025, for the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of the 10-tonne-per-day (TPD) gasification-based waste disposal system. The total project cost stands at Rs 7.30 crore — Rs 3.73 crore (plus 18% GST) for the plant setup and Rs 3.57 crore for a five-year comprehensive operation and maintenance contract.

The plant’s contractual commissioning deadline of Dec 2, 2025, passed without the facility being commissioned. An earlier inauguration target of Republic Day, Jan 26, was also missed, with officials citing delays in obtaining mandatory regulatory consent from the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB).

As recently as March, urban development minister Vishwajit Rane informed the assembly that the plant was 95% complete but yet to be commissioned.

The plant is intended to function initially as a pilot project, processing a portion of Margao’s daily waste. The town currently generates 35-40 tonnes of wet waste per day, well above the initial 10-TPD capacity, all of which is presently routed to the Cacora garbage treatment plant. MMC officials have indicated the capacity will be scaled up should the pilot prove successful. A live emission monitoring system is also to be installed at the site for real-time environmental tracking.