MADURAI: In a move to improve its solid waste management system, the city corporation is set to commence work on its long-pending “waste to energy” and scientific landfill project at the 50-acre Vellakkal dump yard.
The initiative aims to process the bulk of the city’s daily waste to generate up to 15 kW of electricity per day.
The civic body has signed a Memorandum of Understanding under the Centre’s CITIIS 2.0 programme in March 2025, and after nearly a year of planning, the work is poised to begin soon.
The project is designed to process up to 900 tonnes of waste a day, which closely matches the city’s average daily generation of 850-900 tonnes.
According to senior corporation officials, the plant will generate up to 15 kW of power, which will be sold to the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation. The facility will be developed on a Design, Build, Finance, Operate, and Transfer (DBFOT) basis under a public-private partnership model. A concessionaire will be responsible for the project for 30 years, covering construction, operation, and maintenance.
To ensure financial feasibility, the authority has earmarked Rs 125 crore as Viability Gap Funding (VGF). The corporation will remain responsible for transporting and supplying the solid waste to the plant.
A senior official said, “While wet waste will be diverted to the proposed waste-to-gas units at the same site, the rest will be utilised for the waste-to-energy plant. This integrated approach will significantly boost processing capacity.”
The move comes amid mounting criticisms over Madurai’s poor showing in the Swachh Survekshan rankings. Last year, the city ranked last, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a recent visit, highlighted the civic body’s lapses in cleanliness.
The 2024-2025 Survekshan report gave Madurai a mere 4% rating in waste generation versus processing. While the corporation has taken incremental steps such as increasing processing at its 30 micro-compost yards, which presently handle most of the city’s wet waste, activists expect the new project to be a game-changer.
T Nagendran, a city-based civic activist, said, “It is commendable that the corporation is finally acting. However, authorities must also focus on streamlining door-to-door collection and segregation to ensure the plant’s success.”
The project aligns with the state government’s mandate for scientific waste management amid shrinking landfill space and rise in waste generation.