Upcoming bio-CNG plant by BMC, MGL to process 1/3rd of Mumbai’s bio-waste

A bio-CNG project will be developed at Deonar dumping ground with an objective of managing the waste of the economic capital of India scientifically. In an important development, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has made a provision in its budget of Rs 300 crore for solid waste management projects. This budgetary allocation includes setting up a bio-CNG plant at Deonar dumping ground.

“The BMC has signed an MoU with Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) for setting up a bio-CNG plant at Deonar dumping ground. The plant will be run by using 1,000 tonnes of wet waste supplied by the civic body,” says the budget document. Nearly 6,500 tonnes of waste is generated daily in Mumbai. Out of this, 3,500 tonnes, which is more than the half of the total waste, is wet waste. The upcoming bio-CNG plant would be recycling about a third of this wet waste and generate green energy.

The budget document of BMC reads that the concession agreement process is already being made. The land for the bio-CNG project will be given by the city corporation and the project is expected to be established in two years.

Under this initiative, special vehicles will collect wet waste from hotels, restaurants, and vegetable markets, ensuring proper segregation before transportation to the processing plant. This waste will then be converted into gas through a structured treatment process.

In September 2023, Mahanagar Gas Limited (MGL) revealed plans to establish Asia’s largest compressed biogas (CBG) plant in Mumbai. Planned to be developed in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the project was said to involve an investment of approximately Rs 500 crore and is designed to process up to 1,000 TPD of segregated wet waste.

While MGL has traditionally focused on city gas distribution, it is actively exploring new avenues for growth, including segments within the production of bioenergy and electric vehicle (EV) value chain.