Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Sunday, Dec 21, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Sunday, Dec 21, 2003 |
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Industry & Economy
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Non-conventional Energy Turning municipal waste into fuel — Selco power plant model in AP shows the way Our Bureau
Hyderabad , Dec. 20 ANDHRA PRADESH has more than one reason to cheer about when the Minister of State for Science and Technology, Mr Bachi Singh Rawat, dedicated to the nation a 6.6-MW power plant using municipal solid waste (MSW) as fuel near Shadnagar on Saturday. While consuming 700 tonnes of MSW, nearly one-third of the total waste produced by Hyderabad everyday, the power plant set up by Selco International at Elikatta village in Mahboobnagar district augments 5.9 MW to Andhra Pradesh Transmission Corporation's (APTransco) grid. Transco would pay 3.47 paise per unit, while the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad agreed to supply the waste free-of-cost for the next 30 years. Addressing the gathering, Mr Rawat said Selco's model could be replicated elsewhere to tackle the ever-expanding dump yards on the peripheries of cities that pose serious health problems. Its venture will go a long way in creating garbage-free cities and reducing the burden on fossil fuel. Dr G.V. Rama Krishna, Chairman and Managing Director of Selco, said 10-years of efforts and four-years of research and development in garbage processing had been involved in the project. "We have invested Rs 28 crore on the project, including Rs 14 crore from the Technology Development Board (Department of Science and Technology) and Rs 5.59 crore from the Technology Information Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC)," he said. Selco supplies pellets/briquettes with good calorific value to textile, pharma and steel re-rolling industries as a substitute for coal. "The technology we have developed is unique and cheap when compared to the West. We have started getting enquiries from outside. We are going to sign a pact with a US company for Rs 20 lakh for transfer of technology," Mr Krishna said. Interestingly, the 6.6-MW capacity plant comprised air-cooled condenser instead of the conventional water-cooled condenser. "This will help us not to exert pressure on Mahboobnagar, where water is a scare commodity. The condenser helps us reduce 30,000 litres per hour," he said. From the 700-tonne garbage intake, the plant produces 200 tonnes of refuse derived fuel (RDF). "The emission characteristics of RDF were superior to coal. The burning of RDF, instead of coal, reduces green house gases," he said. "Bio fertilisers and fly ash, the two by-products, too are useful. We are going to sell fly ash for brick makers," he said. Selco, which shares incineration technology for the conversion of RDF to electricity with TIFAC, has filed for a patent on the technology.
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