Mumbai’s Deonar waste-to-energy plant commissioning delayed to mid-2026

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has approved a 270-day extension for the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) project at the Deonar dumping ground, pushing the commissioning timeline to mid-2026. The plant, earlier slated for completion in October 2025, faced delays due to pending statutory and environmental clearances.

Once operational, the facility will process 600 metric tonnes (MT) of fresh waste every day—twice the capacity originally planned—and generate 8 MW of green electricity. Officials said the power produced can either be sold at rates fixed by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) or diverted for municipal use.

To tackle the estimated 2 crore MT of legacy waste at Deonar—Mumbai’s oldest and most burdened landfill—the BMC launched the Rs 648-crore WTE initiative in June 2022 after nearly six years of planning. The contract was awarded to M/s Chennai MSW Pvt. Ltd. with a 40-month construction period and a 15-year operation and maintenance mandate.

In July this year, the city corporation had also increased the Deonar waste to energy project’s power generation capacity from 4 MW to 7 MW.

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) gave its consent to establish the plant on September 11. However, with certain environmental clearances still pending, the contractor sought additional time. Municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani cleared the 270-day extension earlier this week, a civic official confirmed.

Mumbai generates nearly 6,500 MT of waste every day—equivalent to the volume of a three-storey building. While the Gorai and Mulund dumping grounds have been scientifically shut down, the 311-acre Deonar site, in use since 1927, continues to hold vast quantities of untreated legacy waste.

At present, the Kanjur Marg landfill remains the city’s primary site for waste disposal, while about 10% of daily waste is still directed to Deonar. The new WTE plant is expected to play a crucial role in reducing this burden while advancing Mumbai’s clean energy and sustainability targets.