Authorities hurry-up with BPCL CBG plant in Kochi; tender process being finalised

The BPCL Kochi Refinery is mulling to begin the construction of the compressed biogas (CBG) plant it has planned at Brahmapuram in the objective of tackling the metropolitan city’s persistent garbage related problems. Finalizing tender procedures for the project, the refinery awaits approval from the corporation council, as per reports.

To facilitate the CBG plant, the city municipal corporation has designated 10 acres at Brahmapuram for the facility’s construction.

Kochi Mayor M Anil Kumar said that BPCL Kochi Refinery authorities are nearing completion of the tender procedures for the CBG plant’s construction. The civic body is streamlining necessary approvals via a single-window clearance system to ensure a smooth commencement of work.

The authority looks to secure 1.5 MW of electricity for both construction and operational phases of the CBG plant. Also, the plant would require approximately 100 million liters of water on everyday basis.  Water could be sourced from Kadambrayar, near the Brahmapuram solid waste treatment plant. Nonetheless, questions arise about the water body’s adequacy.

Despite initial rejection of the refinery’s CBG plant proposal in favor of a waste-to-energy plant, circumstances shifted following a fire outbreak at the solid waste treatment plant premises in March 2023. Subsequently, the windrow compost plant at Brahmapuram was closed, and the waste-to-energy project was scrapped. In response, the state government and Kochi corporation turned to BPCL Kochi Refinery to establish the CBG plant, addressing the resulting crisis.

In November last year, the state government of Kerala approved plan for the establishment of a CBG plant project by BPCL in Kochi, the state’s commercial hub. The decision was made during a cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, held as part of the ‘Nava Kerala’ outreach program in northern Thalassery. The information of the project approval was shared through a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).