Chief Minister unveils waste-to-energy plan of Odisha

In a major step towards sustainable waste management and clean energy, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has announced that municipal garbage collected from Bhubaneswar and nearby towns will soon be converted into energy.

The announcement was made in Bhubaneswar’s Old Town during the “Swachhata Hi Seva” campaign. The CM said the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) Department is steering the project, which will address the 800 tonnes of solid waste generated daily within BMC limits.

The initiative, led by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), aims to process between 1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of daily waste to generate up to 25 megawatts of power.

To implement the plan, BMC will set up a waste-to-energy plant, a biogas composting unit, and a waste-to-briquette/charcoal facility. Tenders for the biogas unit have already been floated, while groundwork for the briquette plant has been completed. The project site has been earmarked at Palasuni.

Waste collected from Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Puri, Jatni and other nearby municipalities will be processed at a central location. “Our government is committed to efficient management of both dry and wet waste. Waste will be converted into charcoal, and later into energy, using advanced technology,” CM Majhi said while addressing the gathering.

The state government says that the integrated project will not only boost clean energy generation but also strengthen sanitation efforts across urban Odisha.

Recently, Odisha government rolled out State Clean Air Programme (SCAP) with an investment plan of Rs 150 crore to reduce urban air pollution. Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has vowed to establish a biogas-based captive power plant at the Unit-I vegetable market to convert organic waste into green energy. Oil India Limited (OIL) has agreed to build two CBG plants, each in in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack wherein each plant would be utilizing 200-TPD of biowaste daily.

The BMC is also mulling to set up a processing plant equipped with chippers, grinders, hammers, and dryers to convert green waste, such as grass clippings, shrubs and wood into biomass briquettes.