Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the “Gobar-Dhan (Bio-CNG) Plant” in Indore, Madhya Pradesh through video conferencing and emphasized that the initiative will help make the cities of the country clean, pollution-free and take them towards clean energy.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), PM Modi recently launched the Swachh Bharat Mission Urban 2.0, with the overall vision of creating “Garbage Free Cities”. The Mission is being implemented under the overarching principles of “waste to wealth” and “circular economy” for maximizing resource recovery – both of which are exemplified in the Indore Bio-CNG plant. The plant has the capacity to treat 550 tonnes per day of segregated wet organic waste. It is expected to produce around 17,000 kg per day of CNG and 100 tonnes per day of organic compost, the PMO informed.
The plant is based on zero-landfill models, whereby no rejects would be generated. Additionally, the project is expected to yield multiple environmental benefits- reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, providing green energy along with organic compost as fertilizer.
Indore Clean Energy Pvt Ltd, a Special Purpose Vehicle created to implement the project, was set up by Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) and Indo Enviro Integrated Solutions Ltd. (IEISL) under a Public-Private Partnership model, with a 100 per cent capital investment of Rs 150 crores by IEISL, stated an official release.
Indore Municipal Corporation will purchase a minimum of 50 per cent of CNG produced by the plant and in a first-of-its-kind initiative, run 400 city buses on the CNG. The balance quantity of CNG will be sold in the open market. The organic compost will help replace chemical fertilizers for agricultural and horticultural purposes.