Manesar Launches Preparatory Work for Waste-to-Energy Project.

The Manesar Municipal Corporation (MCM) has initiated groundwork for the proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) plant in Kasan village, beginning the process of securing the remaining 10 acres of land allocated for the project.

The civic body has started preparations to fence the newly acquired land parcel, which will complete the 20-acre site earmarked for the facility. Once operational, the plant will process municipal solid waste (MSW), including household and commercial garbage, and convert it into energy.

MCM Executive Engineer Nijesh Kumar said the corporation had initially taken possession of 10 acres of land, which was already fenced, and has now acquired the remaining 10 acres. “Fencing will be completed in 15 to 20 days,” he said.

The civic body recently floated a tender to appoint an agency for fencing the additional land acquired by the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) for the project.

The waste-to-energy project gained momentum in March after the Directorate of Urban Local Bodies (ULB) formed a committee to prepare a model Request for Proposal (RFP) for WTE projects in major municipal corporations, including Gurugram, Faridabad and Hisar.

The project is proposed to be developed under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has also issued a model RFP framework to help states and urban local bodies develop technically feasible and financially sustainable waste-to-energy projects.

The committee is responsible for preparing techno-economic feasibility reports, identifying suitable project sites, assessing waste availability, developing the power purchase agreement (PPA) framework, estimating project costs and evaluating environmental requirements, including the management of residual waste.

However, environmental groups have raised concerns over waste-to-energy plants, arguing that burning mixed municipal waste can release harmful air pollutants and may not comply with provisions under the 2016 Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules.