BIOGAS: Navi Mumbai (NMMC) plans Rs 2100 crore waste to energy project

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has initiated an ambitious waste-to-energy project at the Turbhe landfill site to scientifically manage the city’s growing solid waste under the Solid Waste Management Act, 2016. The Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility will be developed on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) basis at an estimated cost of Rs 2,100 crore.

In the first phase, Rs 910 crore has been allocated for setting up a biogas energy plant and a waste-to-electricity facility. Of this, NMMC will invest Rs 181 crore towards basic infrastructure, while the concessionaire, R & B Greentech LLP—awarded the Letter of Award (LOA)—will contribute Rs 729 crore.

As per reports, NMMC will hold a 26% stake in the project. Phase I is expected to be completed within 36 months, with the private agency responsible for operating and maintaining the facility for 20 years.

Spread across 100 acres, the Turbhe landfill currently receives over 850 metric tonnes of waste daily. The new facility is designed to process up to 1,500 tonnes per day, factoring in projected waste generation for a population of 32.23 lakh by 2038.

The project includes a 450 TPD biogas or bio-CNG unit for wet organic waste, RDF-based thermal treatment and a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant expected to generate 27 MW of electricity through green open access.

Navi Mumbai ranked high in cleanliness due to 100% door-to-door waste collection by NMMC. Still, the corporation generates about 650–700 metric tonnes of solid waste daily and the city faces challenges with over 50% multi-layered plastic waste, significant bio-waste and the need for improved source segregation to transform it into energy.