KOCHI : The construction of a new compressed biogas (CBG) plant by BPCL at Brahmapuram will commence this month. The Kochi Corporation council meeting held on Thursday decided to hand over 10 acres of land to BPCL free of charge for constructing the plant.
BPCL aims to complete the work of the plant by 2025, and as per the agreement between the corporation and BPCL, the latter will be in charge of the operations and management of the plant for 25 years. This can be extended up to 10 years. The council also decided to request the government to speed up the process, including transfer of land for the project.
The tender process for finalising the agency to operate the biogas plant is nearing completion. Two companies that have experience in operating and building similar plants in Indore and Chennai have been shortlisted for the purpose. The contract will be awarded to the company which quotes the lowest bid. The provision for payment of a tipping fee for the waste given for treatment has been waived in the agreement. Earlier, the contract company, which had taken up the waste-to-energy project, had to be paid Rs 3,550 per load as tipping fees by the corporation. By eliminating tipping fees, the corporation will save up to Rs 20 crore annually.
Also, an agreement has been reached with KSEB to supply the 1.5 MW power required for the operation of the plant. BPCL will bear the electricity bill. However, the BPCL officials have asked the Corporation to make an effort to provide electricity at a low rate by including it in the agricultural tariff. The mayor said that he would talk to the chief minister about this.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 110 crore, including the construction of the plant. The first phase of the project is expected to cost around Rs 81 crore, and all operational expenses are estimated at Rs 10 crore. The plant has a solid waste processing capacity of 150 tonnes, but it can process up to 180 tonnes, according to sources.
Up to six tonnes of CBG and 25 tonnes of biofertilizer can be produced by processing 150 tonnes of waste. It can generate an annual revenue of Rs 14 crore.
BPCL is also looking at whether the remaining 100 tonnes of slurry at the processing stage can be sold as fertilizer. If this is not possible, a treatment plant will be set up, and the water will be purified, used for the daily needs of the plant, and discharged into Kadambarayar. It is estimated that 10,000 litres of water is required for the daily operation of the plant.
Report of Fire and Rescue Services awaited: Mayor
Mayor M Anilkumar said that he has not received the report of the internal vigilance and intelligence wing of Fire and Rescue Services regarding the safety measures suggested at the Brahmapuram waste plant. He was responding to the Opposition’s queries at the council meeting. The report has been submitted to the collector. If the report is given to the corporation, the council will be informed about it, he said. “All measures suggested have been completed at the plant. These matters were assessed by the minister and collector,” he added.
In-charge for next 25 yrs
BPCL aims to complete the work of the plant by 2025
BPCL will be in charge of the operations and management for 25 years. This period can be extended up to 10 years