CHENNAI: The City Corporation has passed a council resolution to install waste to energy plants at the Kodungaiyur and Perungudi landfills. They also plan to maximise the land use in the two landfills. On implementation, these projects are expected to reduce the amount of waste, which goes to the landfill, by 80 per cent. The 32-megawatt capacity plants will incinerate the waste which reaches the landfill to produce energy. The City Corporation has proposed piggyback engineered landfills (PBELs) to be constructed on top of the existing landfills.
The piggyback method uses a lining in between the old and new layers of garbage, and avoids the need to extend landfill area. This method was first used in the United States in 1987, and will replace the biomining system usually adopted to reclaim landfills in the state. According to the Detailed Feasibility Report (DFR) prepared by a private consultant. The operation and maintenance costs of the plants at Kodungaiyur and Perungudi are estimated to cost of `1,243.50 crore and `1,163.43 crore, respectively over a 20-year period. The operation and maintenance costs of the PBELs in Kodungaiyur and Perungudi are estimated at `258.08 crore each.
Both the waste to energy and PBEL will be implemented through a Private Public Partnership. The projects will be implemented over a five-year period, and bidding will be based on the design build operate and transfer model.
Sources in the Corporation said that the project is being rushed as both Kodungaiyur and Perungudi landfills are brimming. “While the incinerators will ensure new waste isn’t added, the piggyback method will maximise land use and reclaim the land in the area,” said a senior Corporation official.
The Corporation has also proposed systems to monitor landfill juice (leachate) in real time and micro plans to handle waste from bulk generators.