Brahmapuram CBG plant disruption hits waste processing

Kochi: The functioning of the much-hyped compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram has been disrupted for the past one-and-a-half months, throwing the city’s waste management out of gear.

As the plant has been partially or fully non-functional, the corporation has been stacking a sizable portion of wet waste on the premises of the solid waste treatment plant, raising fears that Brahmapuram could slide back into its earlier chaotic state.Former chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan commissioned the CBG plant in Feb 2026, after which operations began in a phased manner. Corporation authorities said BPCL Kochi Refinery officials had reported the plant processing around 80-100 tonnes of waste daily in April 2026.

In May, however, only about 460 tonnes of wet waste were collected for the entire month, against the plant’s estimated daily capacity of 150 tonnes. No waste has been collected in June so far.“We are facing difficulties as no garbage is being collected at the CBG plant. We are now forcing the black soldier fly (BSF) plants to treat additional waste, together, they currently handle around 100 tonnes a day, which is their maximum capacity.

Since the city generates around 170 tonnes of biodegradable waste daily, we have no option but to stack the remainder at the treatment plant premises,” said Seena Gokulan, chairperson, health standing committee, Kochi Corporation.BPCL Kochi Refinery officials, who operate the plant, attributed the disruption to delays in completing an adjacent gas purification plant. “A purification plant is being built next to the CBG plant to purify the methane generated during waste treatment.

Work is underway, and operations had to be paused for a few days to facilitate this. It should resume within a couple of days,” a BPCL official said.Kochi mayor V.K. Minimol will meet BPCL Kochi Refinery officials on Saturday to discuss streamlining the plant’s operations.Under the agreement between the corporation and BPCL Kochi Refinery, the corporation is responsible for handling the slurry, a semi-fluid residue left after waste treatment. Corporation sources said this clause was absent from talks held before the agreement was signed, but it nonetheless appeared in the final agreement.