ROURKELA: Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) is on the verge of launching Odisha’s first-of-its-kind bio-methanation-cum-power generation plant. The innovative facility, located at Sector-14, aims to generate 400 units of power and 800 kg of organic manure daily from the scientific disposal of approximately five tonne of municipal organic waste, predominantly cattle dung.
Commissioned by a consortium comprising Koel Fresh, ISAR Engineering Ltd, and Koshish Sustainable Solutions Ltd, the 5 TPD plant employs anaerobic digestion to produce 450 cubic metre of bio-gas. This bio-gas powers a 40 KW genset, yielding over 400 units of electricity each day. Additionally, the plant is poised to generate 800 kg of bio-fertiliser from the processed organic waste.
Rourkela ADM and RMC commissioner Subhankar Mohapatra expressed pride in this pioneering initiative, emphasising its potential to efficiently manage municipal organic waste while curbing greenhouse gas emissions. “Once connected to the power grid, the plant is expected to commence operations in the coming months. The RMC may utilise the generated power or explore selling it to TPWODL, with final modalities being ironed out,” he further stated.
The project, approved by the state-level committee under Single Window Clearance, addresses RMC’s challenges with overflowing cattle dung from unauthorised commercial cattle sheds and limited processing capacity at existing Micro Composting Centres. The plant, with an estimated cost of approximately `4 crore, assumes significance in the wake of the RMC’s woes of overflowing cattle dung generated from about 22 unauthorised commercial cattle sheds and several thousand other cattle kept at individual households.