Civil work on Brahmapuram plant may begin in December.

Civil work on the Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant at Brahmapuram is expected commence in December, according to officials.

Though running nearly a year behind schedule, the plant has obtained almost all statutory clearances including those from the State Pollution Control Board, Factories and Boilers Department, and the Social Forestry Wing of the Department of Forests. Building permit for the plant will be ready shortly, said officials at the plant.

Incidentally, the State government had fast-tracked the project by exempting the wetland where the unit has been proposed from the ambit of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy and Wetland Act. The government had initially made the exemption possible through an ordinance as the State-level Monitoring Committee, constituted under the Act, objected to the proposed reclamation.

The Kochi Corporation had given the 20-acre holding at Brahmapuram for setting up the plant on lease to GJ Eco Power Private Limited, which had won the bid for constructing the unit.

The Terms of Reference of the Environment Impact Assessment for the plant will come up before the State-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority on October 30. The draft of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) has been drawn up. The Kerala Electricity Regulatory Commission needs to approve PPA for the project. Kerala State Electricity Board will purchase power generated from the unit at the cost fixed by the commission.

The clearance of PPA is also a prerequisite for raising funds for the project, an official said.

Though the project is running behind schedule, the State government has been supporting it and ensuring the speedy clearance of files. If the project progresses as planned, the plant will start processing waste by October next, and power generation will begin by the first half of 2020, said officials.

The plant will have an installed capacity for processing up to 500 tonnes of waste a day. Once the plant runs in full capacity, 300 tonnes of refuse derived fuel will be generated. Currently, around 250 tonnes of waste are generated in the city. The quantity of waste reaching the plant will grow significantly once regular processing of waste begins there. It is estimated that one individual generates as much as 400 grams of waste a day in Kochi, an official said.

It is estimated that the Brahmapuram campus of the waste treatment plant holds around 8 lakh tonnes of waste brought there over a period of tonne. The accumulated waste will serve as raw material for the plant for at least five years.

The plant may function smoothly for the next few years without any additional supply of waste. The acre-holding, which is used as waste dumping ground, can be cleared within a few years after the WTE plant starts functioning, he hoped.

THE HINDU