Bengaluru: Bengaluru is set to get a compressed biogas (CBG) plant that will convert segregated municipal wet waste into cooking gas. Gas Authority of India Ltd (Gail) will set up the Rs 160-crore facility on an 18-acre plot within the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) premises at Hosapalya, near Kudlu, off Hosur Road.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to virtually lay the foundation stone for the project during his visit Friday. The plant will have the capacity to process 300 tonnes of wet waste daily and produce 12.6 tonnes of compressed biogas. It will also generate around 22 tonnes of organic manure every day.Speaking at an awareness event Wednesday, Bangalore South MP Tejasvi Surya said the facility would become operational within 15 months of work commencing. The entire project cost will be borne by Gail, while the state govt has allotted 18 acres for the facility under a 25-year agreement. “This is the first plant in the city and in south India by Gail. We have set an example of how waste can be converted into energy,” Surya said.The plant is expected to process 1.1 lakh tonnes of wet waste annually and generate cooking gas sufficient for around 25,000 households. Its daily output will be equivalent to around 890 LPG cylinders. According to project estimates, it could help avoid the annual import of 3.2 lakh LPG cylinders and save around Rs 27 crore in foreign exchange.The choice of the KCDC premises for the project is significant given the history of residents’ opposition to waste-processing operations at the site. Established in 1975 as a scientific composting facility, the plant stopped operations in 2008 following protests over foul odour. It was reopened in 2013 despite continued resistance from residents.
