TIRUPATI: Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) Limited is establishing a compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Tirumala, whose feedstock will be biodegradable solid (wet) waste generated at the hill town.
Trust board of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has ratified a decision in this regard taken earlier by the TTD executive officer (EO). The board authorised the EO to finalise terms and conditions of MoU that is to be signed between the TTD and IOC.
As part of Swachh Tirumala, the temple body had contemplated a municipal wet waste treatment plant at the hill town with Windrow technology, which would produce compost or manure and minimise the adverse impact on environment. The compost is being produced by O&M since March 27, 2017.
Before extending this agency’s contract, the trust board directed TTD officials to explore alternative technologies for disposal of wet waste. Officials then came up with the idea of bio-methanation or production of biogas as one of the best alternatives for disposal of wet waste, as it produces gas that can be used for cooking, heating and production of electricity.
Against this backdrop, TTD approached IOC for a technical study regarding production of CBG. “After an inspection on February 28, 2021 and further discussions, IOC has come forward to establish a compressed biogas plant in Tirumala on a cost-sharing basis (IOC 50 percent and TTD 50 percent).
Accordingly, TTD will bear 50 percent of the project cost, provide at least one-acre land at Tirumala, supply segregated 35–40 MT organic waste per day to the plant and use the CBG produced. IOC will bear the remaining 50 percent of the project cost, invite tenders, execute the project, lay a pipeline from CBG plant to storage point and, most importantly, provide technical know-how to the temple body.
As per estimates, total requirement of LPG at Tirumala is average 3.335 MT per day. The proposed solar steam cooking system taken up by NREDCAP will reduce 1/3rd of LPG consumption by 1.1 MT per day. The proposed CBG plant will produce approximately 1.75–2 MT of bio-gas daily. Thus, dependency on LPG will be reduced to a great extent, resulting in net savings of around ₹2 crore per year for the TTD.
