Visakhapatnam: 

The Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation is planning to have a tie-up with a Bengaluru-based company for setting up a power generation unit, on pilot basis, utilising locally available solid waste material. It came forward to set up a unit that initially utilises 25 MT of waste. It offered highly sophisticated technology from Germany that would lessen emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

“The company had put a proposal before the Corporation regarding the unit. Since it has to be approved by the government we suggested they submit in writing,” said chief engineer B. Jayarami Reddy. The modus operandi of the proposed project will be like this— GVMC has to collect waste from the city and supply to the unit for power generation. The entire activity will be on win-win basis where no one pays any costs.

Further, many international agencies are also showing interest on power-generation from solid waste collected in the city. Reputed companies from Japan and the USA have also come forward to take up the project, said commissioner M.V. Satyanrayana.

The proposed project would lessen financial burden on the GVMC to shift the entire material to the dumping yard located at Kapuluppada. He said when considering the relative environmental benefits of landfill and energy from waste, the most important factor is their potential contribution to climate change. Environmentalists suggest though there are a number of technologies to produce energy from waste, but the process should be done by direct combustion that reduces emission of gases.

source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com / Deccan Chronicle / Home> News> Current Affairs / DC / October 21st, 2013