THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was a heart-rending scene in the post-flood Kerala of an earthmover dumping back the waste into a river that had spat out tonnes of garbage dumped into it over the years when nature bled in the August monsoon in the state. Finding environment-friendly ways to treat waste and garbage is very important and challenging in the social milieu of Kerala as its economy is very much dependent on the tourism industry.
But the age-old issue has really been a cause for concern for the political dispensations that ruled the state. We have switched to the centralised waste processing system and then to decentralised waste processing plants to find solutions to this issue. However, a remedy for the nagging waste menace was always slipping through the hands.
Now, the state government is working on an ambitious project on the integrated processing of the urban solid waste, notably centralised treatment of garbage. Recently, the state government announced Kerala is getting ready to become a garbage-free state in two years by introducing Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants. The state government has also called a meeting of industry experts and various stakeholders to find an environmental-friendly way to solve this issue.
Around 10 technologies were presented by various companies in the meeting and seven technologies, including plasma gasification and biomethanisation, were found suitable for the state among the 10 options presented. The state government is almost on the verge of inking an agreement with Delhi-based AG Dauters Waste Processing Private Ltd for setting up a plasma gasifier waste treatment plant in Munnar, Idukki.
Chief Secretary Tom Jose said the state government has identified two acres provided by Kanan Devan Hills Plantations in Munnar, where the WtE plant based on plasma gasification technology will be set up on a PPP mode at a cost ranging from Rs 300 to Rs 400 crore on a pilot basis. This will be followed by another WtE plant in Kozhikode where around 12 acres have been identified for the project and the technology to be used will be decided by the company in an open tender to be floated soon.
These WtE plants will generate water or bio-fuel as by-product and it can be converted into either potable water or electricity based on the local demand. Since the project is on a PPP mode and the state has no major investment in the project, the investment will be retrieved by selling the by-products, he said.
According to officials with the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), which has been chosen as the nodal agency for executing the project, in the first phase, these two WtE plants will be set up and the state government is planning to set up similar projects in 12 locations in the state and seven sites have already been identified where these plants will be set up in two years.
If the plant to be set up at Munnar will have an installation capacity to process 20 tonnes of solid waste per day, the Kozhikode plant will have an installation capacity of 300 tonnes per day. The cost for running the plant and the investment to be made by the company will be met through the sale of the by-products of the plant, mainly power which will be linked to the grid of the electricity board at a rate fixed by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Since the power generated from the plants will be a bit high than the conventional energy, the difference in the power tariff will be compensated by the state government by way of viability gap funding or other means, which will be decided during the final leg of the procedure, said officials.
The Kerala government has also made arrangements to rope in actor Mohanlal as the brand ambassador of the project and the state government will hold a concerted campaign in the state with a view of creating awareness on waste management. Further, the government will be amending laws like the Kerala Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling Rules) 1999, Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and pollution rules to facilitate and create a new waste management culture, said experts.
However, the state government’s move to switch to such waste treatment plants has also raised doubts about its efficacy. R V G Menon, an expert on non-conventional energy, said there should be a mechanism to monitor the emission levels in the plasma gasification plants as recently a plant in Japan was closed down following the excess release of toxic emissions.For processing solid waste, biomethanisation technology is feasible for a state like Kerala where the humidity level is high and the state receives copious rain for six months. Biomethanisation plants will even process wet solid waste and methane generated from the plant can be used for power generation, he said.
He also expressed the concern that the subject requires expert scientific handling along with administrative acumen. So far, administrative handling has only come to the fore. Whereas, scientific opinion has to be weighed while handling sensitive subjects like this, he said.
Shibu Nair of Thanal, a non-profit organisation based in Kerala working on decentralised waste management options, said the background of companies coming forward with new-age technologies of WtE has to be cross-checked before reaching an agreement. Many of these firms are shell companies. Further, how these companies meet their expenses is a question as waste being collected from the state has the presence of a large organic fraction which will reduce the calorific value, he said.
However, government sources maintained the technology to be adopted here will be decided by the company itself. The state government has no role in it other than shortlisting seven technologies suited for the state. There has been some apprehensions that the government order has a controversial clause which says the company may be permitted to disinvest up to 49 per cent of its stakes after the fifth anniversary of the date of commencement of commercial operation of the plant (COD).
A minimum of 51 per cent stakes shall be held by the bidder till the 10th anniversary, after which further divestment/ disinvestment will be allowed. It has been construed as the land allotted for the project can be disinvested by the company at a later phase. But it is wrong. The clause pertains to giving permission to disinvest the stakes of shareholders if any in the company, said government officials.
No more trash woes
The collection of inorganic waste will be entrusted with the local body institutions and transportation of the solid waste will be ensured by the company setting up the plant. The quantity of power to be generated will be based on the calorific value of the waste processed. The government will have to pay a tipping fee for a given quantity of waste to be processed
For a cleaner tomorrow
State government has sanctioned setting up 5 VIW solid Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants on Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) basis, in PPP mode
All power produced in the plants will be purchased by KSEB at the rate fixed by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC)
If the amount quoted by the lowest bidder exceeds the rate fixed by KSERC, the difference shall be paid by the state government through viability gap funding
The company should segregate the waste collected and utilise it for resource recovery through reprocessing facilities directly or indirectly within the allotted site. Such activities shall be at the risk and cost of the company and they may retain all the income from such activities
10 to 15 acres is offered on lease for 27 years, including two years for project planning and implementation, on nominal terms
The participating local bodies shall sign an undertaking with KSIDC agreeing to make available a minimum amount of solid waste for collection by the company from their respective jurisdictions for the concession period, and a pay penalty at the rate of E1,500 per tonne, if there is a shortfall of more than 10 per cent from the monthly average of committed quantity