Prayagraj: The Bio-CNG plant at Jahangirabad in Naini, set up to convert the city’s wet waste into clean fuel, is set for a capacity expansion that will increase its production from the current 40 tonnes to 60 tonnes per day. The process to augment the plant’s capacity has already begun, a move expected to boost the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) revenue while further strengthening the city’s waste-to-wealth and environmental conservation efforts.The plant, spread over around 13 acres near Arail Ghat, was developed under the Prayagraj Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) project to process wet waste generated from households, hotels, restaurants and temples. At present, around 200 metric tonnes of wet waste are being processed daily to produce 40 tonnes of Bio-CNG. After the expansion, the facility will be able to process around 300 metric tonnes of wet waste every day and produce 60 tonnes of Bio-CNG.The plant began operations around two years ago and is being run under a public-private partnership model. PMC currently earns around Rs 40-50 lakh annually from the sale of Bio-CNG. With the proposed capacity enhancement, the civic body’s annual revenue is expected to rise to Rs 60-70 lakh. PMC officials said the Bio-CNG produced at the plant is sold directly to the company.The city generates around 650 metric tonnes of waste every day from households, hotels, restaurants and temples, of which nearly 200 tonnes are wet waste comprising vegetable and fruit waste, flowers and food leftovers. The proposed expansion will allow a larger share of this organic waste to be converted into fuel rather than being sent for disposal.
