Tripartite agreement for CBG plant at Brahmapuram in Kochi to be signed shortly

Kochi Corporation, State government, and BPCL to sign agreement for CBG plant operation at Brahmapuram, nearing completion.

A tripartite agreement between the Kochi Corporation, the State government, and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) Kochi Refinery will be signed shortly to operate the compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram, which is nearing completion.

The Corporation has vetted and cleared the legal document, which is ready to be signed. Of the two biodigesters at the CBG plant, one has been fully constructed, while the other is likely to be completed shortly.

The trial run of the completed biodigester is in progress, with cow dung being fed into it for testing. The CBG plant is expected to be fully operational by the end of next month, when biodegradable waste will be added to the composter to begin gas production. The gas will then be supplied to BPCL through a pipeline, according to the authorities.

“Though the plant was supposed to be completed in 18 months, we finished it six months ahead of schedule. Not even an hour was wasted in construction, thanks to the cooperation of trade unions, the Vadavucode-Puthencruz panchayat, and P.V. Sreenijin, MLA. All approvals were granted without delay and issues were collectively resolved,” said Mayor M. Anilkumar.

He added that the CBG plant would serve as a model, similar to the one in Indore. Initially, it will have the capacity to treat 75 tonnes of biodegradable waste per day, which will gradually increase to 150 tonnes.

While the proposed plant is expected to cater to the waste management needs of neighbouring local bodies in the future, in its initial stage, it will be limited to treating waste from within the Kochi Corporation limits. At present, the Corporation generates over 150 tonnes of waste per day.

The CBG plant, along with the two black soldier fly-driven treatment plants, is expected to meet the Corporation’s waste management needs. Though the two black soldier fly-driven plants have a combined installed capacity of 100 tonnes, one is currently operating at half capacity, processing only 25 tonnes. It will be scaled up to 50 tonnes shortly.