Tambaram Corp issues tender for 150 tonnes bio-CNG project

The Tambaram Corporation has issued a notification in the form a tender calling for bids to select a contractor that will be constructing, operating, and maintaining a bio-CNG or biogas plant in Vengadamangalam, Chengalpet. Tambaram City Municipal Corporation is the ULB for the city of Tambaram within the Chennai Metropolitan Area Chennai.

As per the notification details, the bio-CNG plant should be capable of processing 150 tonnes of wet waste per day and producing renewable CNG at a cost of 44.43 crore.

According to reports, the bio-CNG facility is expected to be operational by next year which is 2025.

Tambaram currently generates approximately 400 tonnes of waste daily. Of the total garbage produced in the city, the wet waste is accounting for half of this volume. As per the reports, this wet waste will be directed to the new upcoming plant for processing.

The gas produced from the upcoming bio-CNG plant will be liquefied, bottled, and marketed to restaurants and gas stations of the city. However, there are concerns regarding the insufficient capacity of the five micro-composting centers to handle wet waste, with facilities in East Tambaram and Selaiyur reported to be non-operational.

As India is moving fast towards net zero target and ensuring that the planet doesn’t breach the 1.5 degree Celsius target, clean and green energy development is on the forefront of the policy makers. Gas is clean and biogas is cleaner. As per one estimate, up to 65% of organic waste could be converted into bio-CNG, with a potential daily production of 130 tonnes of biogas from 200 tonnes of wet waste.

The environmental benefits of bio-gas conversion is much higher over traditional composting methods, highlighting that while composting can emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas, bio-CNG conversion prevents methane release into the atmosphere.