BMC Speeds Up Waste-to-Energy Plant After Delays

11 Feb 2025 CW Team

After facing criticism over delays, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has accelerated efforts to commission the long-awaited waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at Deonar by October 2025. The civic body has also revised its original plan, increasing the plant’s power generation capacity from 4 MW to 7 MW. The facility will process 600 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily while generating sustainable energy.

Mumbai produces around 6,300 MT of waste per day, with 10% still being dumped at the Deonar landfill, which spans 311 acres and has been in use since 1927. The BMC has requested the Revenue Department’s chief secretary to allocate part of the landfill for its use, while the rest will be reserved for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

The WTE plant is a critical step toward addressing the nearly 20 million MT of waste accumulated at Deonar. However, the project has faced setbacks, including a failed attempt to attract bidders for processing 3,000 MT of waste per day. After nearly six years of delays, construction finally began in June 2022.

M/s Chennai MSW Pvt Ltd was awarded the Rs 6.48 billion contract, which includes a 40-month design and build phase and a 15-year operation and maintenance period. The project was criticized in a special audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for BMC’s lack of monitoring and prolonged delays in obtaining necessary approvals.

Infrastructure Urban

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