Bengaluru: The operations of Karnataka’s first Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant, which is being set up at Bidadi, and the combined cycle gas power plant at Yelahanka, both of which were expected to begin operations in August, have been delayed yet again.
The Energy Department officials maintained that the trials were in the final stages and the operations would start soon. “The trials are in the final stages and based on the trials, the systems are being stabilised. We are hoping to begin operations soon,” said Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy Department).
However, sources in the department said that the Performance Guarantee Test was pending and this could push the inauguration of the plants by at least a month.
“The performance guarantee tests are yet to be run at both the plants and that would take at least another month. We are trying to run both plants to the maximum capacity to complete the system trials. At the waste-to-energy plant, we are yet to reach the maximum temperature. Hence, we are expecting that the plants may be ready only by the end of September,” a source from the department said.
At present, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is supplying close to 400 tonnes of dry waste to the plant, as against its maximum capacity to process 600 tonnes.
The WTE plant at Bidadi is spread across 15 acres, has a capacity of 11.5 MW and is a joint project of Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The WTE plants use dry waste that ends up in landfills. Dry waste is burnt at a high temperature to ensure complete combustion and the heat generated is used to generate electricity.
The combined cycle gas power plant will generate 236.825 MW through a gas turbine generator and 133.225 MW through a steam turbine generator, totaling 370.05 MW.
Both the power plants have missed multiple deadlines so far and recently, in July, Energy Minister K J George announced that the plants would start operations in August.
Published 27 August 2024, 22:40 IST