By Solar Times Bureau
According to an act 148 issued by the department of environment, forest, science and technology in December 2000 prohibiting power plants near bio-tech parks
A company named Ramky Enviro Engineers Ltd. had planned to generate energy from waste and proposed the plan to the AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB). The plan is to generate 48 megawatt (MW) total there will be two plants of 24 MW each, from garbage dumped at Jawahar nagar, but the proposal is not passed by the Board. The Board has rejected the consent for establishment (CFE) of the project.
According to an act 148 issued by the department of environment, forest, science and technology in December 2000 prohibiting power plant near bio-tech parks, the APPCB denied permission for the Ramky plant as it falls within 25-km radius of the Biotech Park at Shamirpet. However, since the power plant was being taken up as part of the Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) by Ramky, which entered into an agreement with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in 2008, the corporation has requested the PCB to reconsider its decision and give clearance.
The GHMC authorities claimed there is no land available for establishing power plants away from Jawahar nagar and the corporation has been facing problems in identifying landfill in different parts of the city. The officials said environmental clearance was given for the project after conducting a public hearing last year. It also gave clearance for taking up preparatory works and pre-construction works.
“The municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department has requested the department of environment, forest, science and technology to make necessary amendments in the guidelines of bio-tech park and allow power plants that generate power from garbage,” a senior GHMC official said.
Officials said the state government had allotted 339 acres of land in survey No. 173 in Jawahar nagar village for disposal of solid waste h. The land was earlier used by surrounding municipalities and the Secunderabad Cantonment Board for dumping garbage. Since 2004, the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad has been using the land for dumping garbage generated in the city.
“The developer, Ramky, is planning to adopt the pusher grate with flue gas control system technology to minimise air pollution. The plants are meant to generate renewable energy from garbage and are not a regular power plant. The developer is also adopting best practices in treatment of solid waste, mainly to minimize the burden for future land acquisition,” GHMC commissioner MT Krishna Babu, who has written a letter to APPCB recently, said.
The commissioner said the project not only helps in disposal of waste in a better way, but also benefits the city from environmental aspect as well. When contacted, GHMC executive engineer (Solid Waste Management) D Sudhakar said they have written to the APPCB to reconsider their decision and also amend bio-tech park rules.