Andhra Pradesh: PPAs formalised for 4 waste-to-energy projects

The state government of Andhra Pradesh has formalised Power Purchase Agreements orPPAs for four proposed waste-to-energy (WtE) projects in key urban centres for scientific solid waste management and cleaner power generation.

The PPAs were signed in the presence of Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister Ponguru Narayana. The Minister held that the government has accorded high priority to the scientific processing of municipal solid waste to safeguard the environment, improve urban sanitation and expand the renewable energy mix.

As per the agreements, electricity generated from the waste-to-energy plants at Nellore, Kadapa and Kurnool will be purchased by the Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL), while power from the Kakinada facility will be procured by the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL).

As per reports, the coordination for the PPAs was facilitated by the Andhra Pradesh Power Coordination Committee (APPCC) on behalf of the distribution companies, along with the Swachh Andhra Corporation representing the State government. Collectively, the four new plants will process around 3,093 metric tonnes of solid waste daily.

The waste-to-energy projects will be developed and operated by Jindal and Antony Lara. Jindal is setting up a 15 MW waste-to-energy plant at Kakinada (Rameswaram), which will serve 21 municipalities and process about 957 tonnes of waste per day, along with a 12 MW facility at Nellore (Donthali) covering nine municipalities with a capacity of 604 tonnes per day.

Antony Lara will establish a 15 MW plant at Kadapa (Kolumulapalli), catering to 18 municipalities with a processing capacity of 781 tonnes per day, and another 15 MW plant at Kurnool (Garveypuram) serving 13 municipalities with a capacity of 751 tonnes per day.

Moreover, waste-to-energy projects proposed at Vijayawada and Tirupati are at the tendering stage right now. These two are expected to handle another 1,600 tonnes of solid waste per day.

The minister also highlighted that existing waste-to-energy plants at Guntur and Visakhapatnam are already operational, processing nearly 2,800 tonnes of waste per day and generating about 35 MW of power.

Earlier Ponguru Narayana had held that efforts are underway to clear the legacy waste accumulated in dumping yards across the state over the past five years through waste to energy projects. The government has released AP Integrated Clean Energy Policy-2024 (ICEP) last year. Under the scheme of things, the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) will establish 500 Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants across various districts, with a combined capacity of 11,000 metric tons.