New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi is racing against time to expand the waste-to-energy plant at Tehkhand, as it is yet to secure environmental clearance from the expert committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).The proposal to increase the plant’s intake capacity from 2,000 metric tonnes to 3,000 metric tonnes per day was placed before the committee earlier this month, but officials said queries were raised regarding emissions, air quality impact, regulatory checks and related issues.“The meeting was held in virtual mode and we are waiting for the minutes to know the exact queries raised and documents required by the committee. Afterwards, all efforts will be made to submit replies in a time-bound manner. We are making best efforts to accelerate the process,” an official said.The delay comes despite the civic body having set a deadline last year to complete the expansion by Dec 2027. After approval, it usually takes 12 to 14 months for the agency to complete the expansion and make the plant operational.Earlier, four members of an MoEFCC subcommittee, including the member secretary, visited the Tehkhand waste-to-energy plant on Nov 19. Following the inspection, the subcommittee submitted its report, after which the final decision on environmental clearance moved to the ministry’s expert committee. Officials said some queries had been raised earlier as well.“With the increase in capacity at Tehkhand, power generation will rise from the existing 25 megawatts to 45 megawatts per day. In addition, the expansion will include the capability to produce up to 20,000 cubic meters of biogas daily from green waste, which can be converted into around eight tonnes of Bio-CNG,” the official added.The development comes as MCD has secured necessary approvals from its deliberative wing for expansion of the Okhla waste-to-energy plant capacity from 1,950 metric tonnes to 2,950 metric tonnes per day.The land on which the Okhla plant is located belongs to New Delhi Municipal Council, and the expansion also requires its approval.“We had already forwarded the proposal to the NDMC chairman before executing a supplementary deed with the private concessionaire operating the Okhla waste-to-energy plant. The concessionaire has meanwhile placed orders for boilers and is procuring other equipment. Installation work for some equipment has already started,” the official said.The supplementary deed is required to formally incorporate the revised processing capacity, implementation timelines and additional responsibilities of the concessionaire.In the case of Okhla, MCD had received environmental clearance in 2023 for the expansion, along with an increase in power generation from 23 megawatts to 40 megawatts per day. The deadline for completion of the Okhla expansion is March 2027.
