Corporation proposes two biogas plants

COIMBATORE: Soon, kitchen waste will be used to power stoves at the civic body's night shelter in RS Puram and Anganwadis in the locality. The corporation is planning to set up a biogas plant for this purpose. The wet waste will be sourced mainly from households in the west zone and two markets, the Anna retail and MGR wholesale markets in the city.The biogas generated may also be used to light up 125 low income households in the vicinity. A proposal to set up the plant at an estimated cost of Rs1.21cr has been submitted to the state government on Thursday, and is expected to be cleared in the coming days.
"The main idea is to use this bio gas as an alternative to LPG at the corporation night shelter, Anganwadi and a few households in the area," said G Latha, commissioner, Coimbatore municipal corporation.
Corporation officials said the plants would be sunk in the ground with a closed dome covering and an inlet to feed the wet waste into it. The waste will undergo natural methanisation process. The methane gas produced could be used as an alternative for LPG in kitchens. The twin plants are expected to be set up at an eight cent plot owned by the corporation in RS Puram near the Corporation Boys Higher Secondary School. The plant will be similar to the one operating near the Amma canteen at Saravanampatti.
"Proper kitchen facilities will be installed at the night shelter to facilitate the use of biogas as fuel. There is also a proposal to use the project to supply natural gas to some of the low income households in the locality. The beneficiaries will be identified shortly. A pipeline would be laid to supply the gas from the bio gas plant to the identified spots," said a corporation official.
The corporation has also submitted a proposal for another bio gas plant at Nanjundapuram crematorium which will be utilized for cremation purposes. The crematorium proposal is being prepared at a cost of Rs48lakh. The corporation has already set up a community kitchen at Saravanampatti and has another plant functioning to provide power for the Amma canteen in Saravanampatti.