KOCHI
Kerala may soon get rid of the perennial menace of managing biodegradable waste as public sector oil and gas companies have come forward in a big way to set up compressed biogas (CBG) units in at least 10 districts.
The foundation stone for the Kochi project, proposed by the BPCL-Kochi Refinery, is likely to be laid in January. The State government approved the detailed project report (DPR) of the Kochi project last week. A government order to this effect will be issued shortly. The public sector company will likely float the bid for the Kochi project in a few weeks. The project may be up and running by the end of 2024, said P. Rajeeve, Minister for Industries.
The company has also evinced interest in setting up a CBG project in Thiruvananthapuram, he said.
The government had held preliminary discussions with Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), which had come forward to set up three CBG plants in the State. The company will set up one plant in Thrissur. The other two locations will be finalised shortly. GAIL has been asked to prepare the DPR for its Thrissur plant, he said.
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) too has evinced interest in setting up similar units in the State. All public sector companies will be investing around ₹3,500 crore in the coming days in the sector, he said.
The oil companies are foraying into CBG and other energy projects in a big way as part of their national mandate to produce alternative energy sources. It will be zero investment projects for the State government as the companies will fund the projects, install equipment and run them. The commitment of the State government will be to ensure regular supply of waste to treatment plants. The civic bodies, which are struggling to manage bio-waste, will be the biggest beneficiaries of the project, he added.
