BMC raises waste-to-energy plant’s capacity to 7MW; commissioning expected by October

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has expedited efforts to commission the long-awaited waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at Deonar landfill by October 2025. Moreover, the city corporation has also increased the waste to energy project’s power generation capacity from 4 MW to 7 MW, enabling it to produce more sustainable energy while processing 600 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily.

Mumbai generates approximately 6,300 MT of waste each day, with about 10% being dumped at the Deonar landfill, while the rest is sent to the Kanjurmarg facility. Spanning 311 acres, the Deonar site has served as a waste disposal ground since 1927. Although owned by the revenue department, it remains under the BMC’s control.

Recently, civic authorities approached the Revenue Department’s chief secretary, requesting that a portion of the Deonar landfill be reserved for BMC operations, while the remaining land would be allocated for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

The WTE plant at Deonar is a critical step toward addressing the nearly two crore metric tonnes of accumulated waste at the landfill. In response to mounting concerns, the BMC revised its initial plan, enhancing the plant’s electricity generation capacity to 7 MW.

Construction and installation are currently in progress, with the administration aiming for completion by October 2025. The BMC’s original WTE plan faced setbacks when it failed to attract bidders for processing 3,000 MT of waste per day at Deonar. As a result, it took nearly six years to commence construction, which finally began in June 2022. The project, awarded to M/s Chennai MSW Pvt Ltd, is being executed at a cost of ₹648 crore. It includes a 40-month design and build period, followed by a 15-year operation and maintenance phase.

I Am Renew had reported that BMC has made a provision in its budget of Rs 300 crore for solid waste management projects and this allocation would also include setting up a bio-CNG plant at Deonar dumping ground.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) has also awarded a contract for the development of a 1.5-TPD biomethanation plant to convert tonnes of municipal organic wet waste into electricity daily in collaboration with BMC. Moreover, BMC is working on establishing five mini waste-to-energy (W2E) plants within the major hospitals of the city.