GAIL India to set up 300-tonne biogas plant within Kudlu’s KCDC plant

Bengaluru: A bio-compressed natural gas (CNG) plant—capable of handling about 300 tonnes of waste—will be established in Kudlu, where the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation (KCDC) is struggling to process wet waste scientifically.

The Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) has decided to hand over 18 acres of land within the KCDC plant to GAIL India, which will be setting up a biogas plant at its own cost. For BSWML, GAIL India’s proposal seemed like a win-win solution, as the wet waste processing plant — operated by KCDC since 1975 — has faced strong opposition from local residents due to air and environmental pollution concerns.

In the last three years, GAIL India, which has a large network of gas distribution lines in Bengaluru, has been searching for suitable land to establish a 300-tonne biogas plant. The civic body had cleared the detailed project report (DPR) in October 2021, and the government eventually approved the project in October 2022.

According to the DPR, GAIL India will invest about Rs 65 crore to establish the 300-tonne biogas plant. The facility is expected to produce approximately 10.70 tonnes of CNG per day and 31.39 tonnes of organic manure, among other products. The BBMP will also benefit, as it will be able to dispose of about six percent of its total waste without incurring any additional costs.

The project was originally proposed to come up at Mandur, where the BBMP had stopped sending waste since November 2014 due to public protests. This location was, however, shelved as local villages, including elected representatives, opposed the plan, especially since the BBMP was also planning to establish a much larger solid waste management plant in the same area by engaging private agencies.

The land dispute came up for discussion at the high-powered meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh in August. As the central public sector undertaking was unable to establish the biogas plant, she directed the BBMP and BSWML to identify alternative land within 60 days.

A senior BSWML official stated that the KCDC plant in Mandur was finalised at a recent meeting. “The plant covers 29 acres of land. About 18 acres will be handed over to GAIL India once the state government approves the location,” he said.

Transforming wet waste into biogas is going to be a significant achievement for BSWML officials, as it is considered a more environmentally friendly solution compared to simply dumping waste in landfills.

“The plant covers 29 acres of land. About 18 acres will be handed over to GAIL India once the state government approves the location."

Senior BSWML official