Greater Noida to build waste-to-energy plant

The Greater Noida Authority is planning to built a waste-to-energy plant — the district’s first solid waste management plant — in the Sector-123 area of Greater Noida.

Every day, the district produces over 300 tonnes of municipal waste. But in the absence of an efficient waste management system or a designated landfill, the disposal of this waste has been a major problem for Noida Authority and Greater Noida Authority.

Previously, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest had deemed the handling of disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the city as “unsatisfactory” and had submitted a report to the National Green Tribunal, stating that no scientific method had been put in place by the Authority for the disposal of MSW.

Officials said after the project’s Expression of Interest (EOI), four companies had qualified for the project and they would be making their presentations in the coming week. According to the Authority, a 100-acre plot has been earmarked for the project in Greater Noida’s Pali area and the project has received environmental clearance.

However, officials said the project might be affected by protests from the residents in the area, who have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the project.

“The problem of residents protesting has been a long-standing issue. Even though land has been repeatedly earmarked for landfills in the past, they’ve not been built due to pressure from residents. We expect that to continue, but it’s important to come to an understanding with resident — since this is an issue that needs to be resolved quickly,” an official said.