Karnataka's first waste-to-energy plant in Bidadi to start trials by mid-July

Bengaluru: Karnataka’s first Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant coming up in Bidadi is expected to start trial runs by mid-July. The plant, spread across 15 acres, has a capacity of 11.5 MW.

A senior official from the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) confirmed to DH that the majority of the works at the plant were completed and they are now preparing to begin trial runs.

“We have already started preparations and should be able to begin trials by July second week. Once the trials are completed, we have to fine-tune the system based on the observations and then allow it to stabilise,” a senior KPCL official said.

Although the project was expected to be completed in October 2023, labour issues and the import of equipment delayed the process. However, officials now say they are confident about starting the trials soon. 

The plant is a joint venture by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL). BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, who visited the plant recently, also said that he had asked the officials to begin trials soon and BBMP was all set to supply the required amounts of dry waste for the plant.

The WTE plants usually use dry waste that ends up in landfills. Dry waste is burnt at a high temperature to ensure complete combustion and the heat generated is used to generate electricity. The plant will be able to process close to 600 metric tonnes of dry waste once it starts operations and this, the KPCL officials said, was one of the main uses of the plant. 

“Production costs in waste-to-energy plants are high. We will have to spend close to Rs 8 per unit. However, it helps dispose of the city’s waste scientifically and hence it was planned in Bengaluru. Dry waste is a big problem in the city and if we can address it through such plants, it could be a sustainable idea,” yet another KPCL official said. 

The plant has been set up at a cost of Rs 260 crore.