VIJAYAWADA: The cash-strapped Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) is contemplating using the electricity generated from methane gas emanated at the sewage treatment plants (STPs) located across the city.
According to VMC officials, a few months ago, a team of representatives from United Nations Industrial Development Organisations (UNIDO) conducted a ground level inspection in the city and suggested the civic body to use the existing sewage treatment plants at Ajith Singh Nagar with 40 million litres per day (MLD) and 20 MLD capacities, as they were ideal locations for realising the project.
As part of their tour, the UNIDO representatives also designed a project to find out the accurate percentage of gas emissions from the STPs in the city. They suggested VMC focus on developing a project to produce renewable energy from wastes like sludge digestion and biogas generator from the VMC-maintained STPs.
Speaking to TNIE, VMC superintendent engineer (projects) JV Ramakrishna said due to lack of the mechanism to generate power methane gas, VMC has been blowing out the methane gas generated from the STPs through flaring units. “When the project proposed by UNIDO is implemented, the electricity generated from methane gas will support the power needs of the civic body and that will bring down the bills gradually,’’ he said.
The UNIDO has decided to give technical and financial assistance to VMC project. Municipal commissioner J Nivas directed the UNIDO representatives to prepare estimates for realising the project in STPs at Ajith Singh Nagar. Tenders will be invited shortly, he said. Officials estimate that 36,000 units per month power can be generated from 40 MLD STP and 23,040 units from 20 MLD STP at Ajith Singh Nagar, once operational, he added.
Useful waste
16,649 units per month electricity consumption at 40 million litres per day at Ajith Singh Nagar
If power is generated from methane gas, the number may increase to 36,000 units per month
20 MLD can generate 23,040 units per month against the consumption of 14,568 units