Biowaste to light up Bangalore streets

Six months from now, the city’s streetlights will consume power generated from the biomethanisation plant. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) standing committee will soon give clearance to the project, which is currently being analysed by the technical evaluation committee.

The BBMP had plans to set up the plant in Aramanenagar on April 25 last year. But it was delayed due to the time taken for assessing the project. Now, the BBMP has formed a technical evaluation committee comprising BBMP environmental cell chief engineer BV Satish; Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Centre for Sustainable Technologies scientist Dr Hoysala N Chanakya; and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre scientist Kale and other officers.
 
Sources said three companies have bid for the project. “The companies had given presentation regarding the technology. The committee has sought clarification from the bidders, before qualifying them for the project,” sources said.

However, BBMP deputy mayor S Harish said that five bidders had contested, and the committee had finalised on Ashok Bio Gas.
“The project will be delayed for a few days as the committee has suggested the bidder to visit the bio-methanisation plant and study the technicalities before starting up the construction of the plant,” he said.

Committee chairman Satish said that the technical evaluation will be finalised in a week.

“After the evaluation, the project will be presented before
the committee, which has to give its approval. Later, the project will be implemented in 16 places. After completing all the process, the plant will be set up in six months,” Satish said.
Each plant will generate 500 KV per day. “The bidder will have to maintain the plant for five years. The generated electricity will burn for 12 hours per day for 250 streetlights”, he said.