1,500-TPD MSW-to-CBG plant to be commissioned by March 2026

Nagpur is poised to achieve a national landmark with the commissioning of India’s largest municipal solid waste-to-compressed biogas (CBG) facility based on dry anaerobic digestion technology. The massive project at Bhandewadi, spread across 30 acres, is progressing steadily and is now scheduled to become fully operational by March 2026, signalling a major shift in the city’s waste management ecosystem.

Despite construction delays triggered by an extended monsoon, the CBG plant has already achieved cold commissioning. Authorities have approved a four-month extension to accommodate the remaining work, with phased hot commissioning expected to begin soon. The biogas project has received sustained support from central and state leadership, alongside close administrative monitoring, underscoring its strategic importance.

Built with a processing capacity of 1,500 tonnes per day—well above the mandated 1,000 TPD—the CBG facility is designed to meet Nagpur’s future waste generation patterns. Its use of dry anaerobic digestion, validated through a pilot conducted in 2024, enables efficient treatment of India’s heterogeneous waste stream.

Once operational, the plant is expected to rank among the world’s largest dry AD systems and claimed to be the first of its scale in India.

The technology offers significant environmental advantages: low energy consumption, higher CBG yields, and minimal landfill dependency. The facility is expected to process up to 600 tonnes of organic waste daily into CBG, generate large quantities of refuse-derived fuel (RDF), and limit inert residue to under 10%. A high degree of automation and rigorous engineering standards are being applied to ensure long-term operational stability.

In a rare zero-tipping-fee and zero-discharge financial model in the CBG project, the privately funded project places no processing cost on the municipal corporation and instead provides royalty income. With the capacity to treat all of Nagpur’s daily waste, the Bhandewadi CBG plant is set to redefine the region’s waste management landscape and stands as a model for future urban sustainability initiatives.