MC seeks to revive biogas production plant to tackle waste disposal in Faridabad

The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) has expressed interest in reviving the biogas production project, which converts organic and kitchen waste into biogas, at a plant established with the help of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Research and Development five years ago. The civic body has proposed hiring an agency to operate the plant, which would cost about Rs 3.50 crore.

The project, initially launched with technical support from IOC’s Research and Development Centre, aimed to use organic and kitchen (vegetable) waste to produce biogas. However, the plant faced challenges due to a shortage of raw material (organic waste), leading it to fall into disuse, according to sources within the civic body. The MCF had instructed the waste collection agency to supply at least five tonnes of green (organic) waste daily; however, the lack of a consistent supply meant the plant became non-functional and has remained unused since then.

The BioMethanation plant, located in Sector 13, was designed to produce 250 kg of bio-CNG, which was primarily intended for use by ISKCON Faridabad to prepare midday meals for government-run primary schools.

Yashpal Yadav, the then Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Faridabad, had played a key role in launching the plant. He had also directed the authorities to ensure regular delivery of kitchen and green waste to keep the plant operational. Despite the efforts, the plant became non-functional shortly after it was made operational in January 2020.

Biomethanation is an environmentally friendly process that converts organic waste, such as food scraps, vegetable waste, organic municipal solid waste and crop residue, into energy.

Padam Bhushan, Executive Engineer at MCF, said the civic body has issued a call for expressions of interest from agencies to revive the project, which could also provide an effective solution to the city’s waste disposal challenges.