New Delhi: In a significant development for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has granted environmental clearance (EC) for the expansion of the waste-to-energy (WTE) plant at Tehkhand. This approval allows the long-pending project to move forward, with work officially commencing at the site. The initiative is expected to accelerate efforts to augment Delhi's waste-processing capacity and reduce the burden on existing landfill sites.
Project Timeline and Capacity Enhancement
Under the implementation schedule, the expanded facility must be commissioned by December 2027. The plant's capacity will increase from 2,000 metric tonnes (MT) per day to 3,000 MT per day, while power generation will rise from 25 megawatts (MW) to 45 MW. Spread over 6 hectares, the plant is compliant with EC conditions, having obtained necessary clearances and no-objection certificates from relevant departments.
Technology and Infrastructure
The expansion will utilize refuse-derived fuel (RDF) combustion-based reciprocating forward-feed grate technology. This system incinerates processed municipal and industrial waste on a moving, stair-like mechanical platform that continuously pushes and mixes the waste, efficiently converting it into heat and electricity. Officials stated that the expanded facility will include a material recovery facility for pre-sorting, an RDF fuel pit, incinerators, boilers, and steam turbine generators, adding 20 MW of power-generation capacity. Additionally, the plant will be capable of producing up to 20,000 cubic metres of biogas daily from green waste, which can be converted into approximately eight tonnes of bio-CNG.
Contractual and Environmental Measures
The MCD has signed a supplementary agreement with the concessionaire to formally incorporate the revised capacity, implementation timeline, and additional responsibilities under the project. As part of the EC conditions, a greenbelt covering 33% of the plot area, or 2 hectares, has been developed within the plant boundary. Another 1.6 hectares will be developed in coordination with the MCD on adjacent landfill land, bringing the total greenbelt area to 3.7 hectares. Authorities have also been directed to submit six-monthly compliance reports, including environmental monitoring results.
Tariff Determination and Financial Considerations
Officials revealed that a meeting with the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) is scheduled for June 11 to determine the tariff. “The tariff will be based on the project cost presented by the concessionaire. However, if the cost is higher, we might consider viability gap funding to reduce it. We followed the same process for the Okhla WTE plant, where the tariff suggested by the concessionaire was higher, and we contributed VGF of Rs 50 crore,” said an official. The Tehkhand expansion remained stalled for months due to pending environmental clearance, and further delays would have impacted the commissioning deadline.
Current Waste Management Scenario in Delhi
Delhi currently generates 12,847 MT of waste daily across its 250 wards. The city's existing waste-processing capacity stands at 7,642 MT per day, including the Okhla WTE plant (1,550 TPD), the Narela-Bawana plant (2,400 TPD), the Ghazipur plant (1,300 TPD), and the Tehkhand plant (2,000 TPD), which was established in 2023. Together, these facilities generate 84 MW of electricity. The remaining waste is dumped at the Okhla, Ghazipur, and Bhalswa landfills. To bridge the gap, work is underway to expand the Okhla WTE plant, increasing processing capacity from 1,950 MT to 2,950 MT per day and power generation from 23 MW to 40 MW by March 2027. Additionally, new plants will be set up at Ghazipur and Bawana.
