Punjab to generate green energy, biofuel from MSW

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CHANDIGARH: Aman Arora, New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister, Government of Punjab, highlighted the need to find sustainable solutions for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and make optimum use of the solid waste to generate green energy and biofuel.

Bhagwant Mann led Punjab government is committed to promoting the non -conventional and natural energy sources as the best possible answer to the pollution problem for saving the environment.

Punjab generated about 3,800 tons solid waste per day in 2021. Unsegregated MSW remains a major challenge as manual segregation is not possible for large volumes of MSW, which eventually results in large-scale dumping of waste in landfills.

Gurjot Singh, Director of BioShakti, has revealed that his company has developed a hub and spoke model, wherein unsegregated MSW in nearby urban local bodies will be segregated using an automated process, which will further be converted into an organic-rich fraction and a combustible fraction (RDF) using well-established technologies.

Singh further revealed that the first such plant to handle the MSW is proposed to be set up in Ludhiana, Patiala, SAS Nagar, and the nearby local bodies. The company is willing to invest Rs 1,500 crore to set up the hub and spokes in collaboration with the ULBs. The project will create 500 green jobs and can handle 1600 TPD of MSW from the major urban centres.