Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to generate power from treated water

After initiatives to bring down its electricity bill by introducing solar power, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is now planning to set up hydroelectricity plant at the 106 MLD Pirana sewerage treatment plant. If all goes according to AMC’s plans, the project may be functional in the next three months.

At present, the treated water of Pirana is released in to the downstream of the Sabarmati. It falls from a height of three metres and provides a perfect opportunity to generate hydroelectricity.

Assessment by the civic body shows that 23 kilowatt electricity per hour (kWh) can be generated using this treated sewerage water.

AMC has now opened financial bids for the tender and is calculating cost benefits and pay-back period, said a senior AMC official.

He also said that the initiative will pave way for other such projects. “Once Pirana hydropower project is successful, there is a possibility of tapping this renewable energy source at Raska too. There we can generate 52kWh,” said the official.

However, municipal commissioner Guruprasad Mohapatra was not convinced about the viability of the project. “The small hydropower project does not seem to be a viable option. We will go ahead only if it’s a cost effective project,” said Mohapatra.