Aafrin Kidwai 
Margao’s first five TPD (tonnes per day) biomethanation power project, which was announced with great fanfare in November 2021, may have to be shut down if the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) does not clear dues of Rs 82.72 lakh owed to the company operating the waste treatment plant by August 15.
The MMC awarded this project, worth Rs 2.4 crore, to Pune-based Urja Biosystems Pvt Ltd, which established a pilot plant. Based on the success of this first project, the civic body intended to launch four additional five TPD plants.
The plant, which was designed to treat 5,000 kgs of vegetable, fish, and other organic waste per day was generating 450 units of power. However, even with the waste generated at the SGPDA market, it did not receive enough wet waste. The plant was not fully operational until March 2022.
However, the plant’s operations have recently resumed, and an environmental audit was conducted, during which the MMC and the company were pulled up because the plant was not being used to its full capacity. There were a number of other technical issues that required immediate attention, reports The Herald.
