Waste corp seeks new green nod for Verna plant

Panaji: After failing to get an environmental clearance (EC) to set up an integrated solid waste management and waste-to-energy plant at Verna for two years, the Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC) decided to speed up the process and file a fresh application before the state environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA).

This plant would be the fourth plant in the state.There were some technical issues which led to the delay in the EC, but it has now been decided to clear all the queries and approach the authority for a fresh EC, a senior official said.The GWMC said that a waste-to-energy plant will be set up at Verna at an estimated cost of Rs 500 crore and will generate 16MW electricity and 38MW heat while processing 250 tonnes of waste per day (TPD).The project is the first of its kind in Goa, and since the non-biodegradable waste is continuously generated, the project will sustain itself, a senior govt official said. The electricity department will procure the power, and the steam generated at the plant will be supplied to industries to be utilised in manufacturing processes, the officer said.“The objective of the plant is to generate electricity and steam from the non-biodegradable waste by adopting environment-friendly processes, and the outcome of the project includes long-term management of non-biodegradable waste without harming the environment,” the officer said.

The non-biodegradable waste is stored in sheds in the panchayat jurisdiction, where the recyclable fraction of non-biodegradable waste is recovered and sent for recycling. The non-recyclable waste is stored in the shed and is collected by the GWMC. The corporation then bales this non-recyclable waste and sends it to various cement plants in Karnataka to be used as a fuel alternative in kilns, thus making it refuse derived fuels (RDF).“The cost of transportation of such RDF is almost Rs 1,000 per tonne. The state is fully dependent on the Karnataka-based cement plants for the disposal of RDF,” the senior official said.He said that if there is a direction in the near future by the Karnataka state pollution control board for the stoppage of transportation of interstate waste, it will lead to the accumulation of RDF in water bodies and thereby affect aquatic life and also the flora and fauna. “So, in order to have our own facility in Goa, it is proposed to establish a 250 TPD waste-to-energy plant,” he said.The plant at Verna will cater to the waste generated in Mormugao taluka and some parts of Salcete taluka. The plant will be set up on an area of 1 lakh sqm, and the environment impact study for the plant has already been done.