In a step towards strengthening urban waste management in Haryana, the state government has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) for setting up four integrated waste-to-energy plants in four major urban centres, officials said on Saturday.
Once operational, these plants -- to come up in Hisar, Ambala, Faridabad and Gurugram urban local body clusters -- will collectively process 5,000 tonnes of waste daily through scientific methods and generate a total 50 MW of energy, they said, adding that the plants are expected to become operational by October 2028.
Four waste-to-energy plants planned
According to an official statement, during the signing of the MoUs in Nuh on Saturday, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini hailed the move as a major step towards making the cities cleaner, healthier and more modern.
The plants will be established by Oil Green Energy Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Oil India Limited.
The chief minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a vision of 'waste to wealth' and the Haryana government is moving forward with the same vision.
Hisar, Ambala clusters to process 1,400 tonnes
According to the statement, an integrated waste-to-energy plant will come up in the Hisar cluster, covering the urban local bodies of Hisar, Hansi, Fatehabad and Jind. The plant will process 500 tonnes of waste per day and is expected to generate minimum 5 MW of energy.
The second will be established in the Ambala cluster, covering urban local bodies in Ambala, Yamunanagar and Panchkula districts. The plant will process 900 tonnes of waste daily, generating minimum 9 MW of energy.
Faridabad, Gurugram to get larger facilities
A third will come up in Faridabad. The plant will process 1,600 tonnes of waste per day and generate an estimated 16 MW of energy.
The fourth plant will be established in Gurugram. It will process 2,000 tonnes of waste per day and is expected to generate minimum 20 MW of energy.
"When all four plants become operational, they will collectively process 5,000 tonnes of waste per day and generate a total of 50 MW of energy. These plants would become operational by October 2028, in accordance with the envisaged timeline," the statement said, quoting the chief minister.
Centre, state and company to share costs
The chief minister further said the projects will receive financial assistance under the 'Urban Challenge Fund' of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
As per the financial arrangement, 25 per cent of the total capital cost will be borne by the Centre. Another 25 per cent will be shared by the state government and urban local bodies, while the remaining 50 per cent will be invested by Oil Green Energy Limited.
He said the plants will be established in accordance with the Solid Waste Management Rules 2026, notified by the Government of India.
Focus on Bandhwari landfill
Addressing the event, Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh urged the state government to take the disposal of waste from Gurugram and other urban centres in Haryana seriously, and issue strict directives in this regard.
He urged officials to ground the projects at the earliest so that the "mountain of solid waste" at the Bandhwari landfill in Gurugram could be eliminated.
The Union minister also noted that an agreement had been previously signed for another waste-to-energy unit, but the project had failed to materialise, asserting that the same should not be repeated.