Telangana is setting a remarkable precedent for other states to follow. The state is generating wealth from waste by establishing waste-to-energy (WTE) plants in and around Hyderabad. The Telangana Government is envisioning to process tonnes of municipal waste generated daily in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.
Around 7,500 tonnes of waste is collected every day in the GHMC limits and this is being utilized to produce electricity. Already, a 24 MW capacity WTE plant is operational at Jawahar Nagar and one more plant at Dundigal is ready to go live. This plant will process around 800 tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) per day to generate 14.5 MW of power.
The construction of WTE plants at Pyaranagar, Medak district (15MW), Yacharam (12 MW) and Bibinagar (11 MW) are underway and there are plans to upgrade the capacity of Jawahar Nagar plant to 48MW. Once all of these are commissioned, Hyderabad will reach its target of generating 101MW of energy from municipal solid waste. These plants will possess enough capacity to effectively recycle the waste produced in Hyderabad and the corresponding Urban Local Bodies for the next three decades.
In addition, plans are afoot to construct WTE plants in Warangal and Karimnagar. The establishment of these plants alleviates the burden on landfills, diminishes unpleasant odours in the vicinity, and mitigates the risk of environmental pollution to the ground, soil, and water.