The Karnataka government is shifting its focus towards converting Bengaluru’s wet waste into gas, after several unsuccessful waste-to-energy projects in the past. Despite numerous proposals and Cabinet approvals, most of these projects failed to operate as planned, with only one exception being the KPCL’s Bidadi plant. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has expressed support for a new approach, which involves turning municipal waste into compressed biogas.
Shivakumar recently visited facilities in Delhi, Chennai, and Hyderabad to explore successful waste management models. He noted that while some plants claim to generate up to 24 MW of power, gas conversion offers a more reliable outcome. However, space constraints have forced the government to scale back its initial plan for four biogas units to just two locations.
Two companies, GAIL India and Carbon Masters, have proposed investments in waste-to-gas plants. GAIL India plans to set up a ₹123-crore plant, while Carbon Masters has proposed a ₹300-crore investment, with ₹100 crore allocated for the first phase. Shivakumar laid the foundation stone for the first phase of a solid-waste segregation unit at Kannahalli and expressed optimism about the new approach.
If these projects prove successful, the government plans to expand the model across Karnataka. The shift towards waste-to-gas solutions is seen as a more dependable and efficient way to manage the city’s waste, and the government is hopeful that it will yield better results than previous initiatives. With the city’s waste management crisis showing no signs of abating, the government is under pressure to find a viable solution, and the waste-to-gas approach is being seen as a promising alternative. The success of these projects will be closely watched, and if they deliver as expected, it could mark a significant turning point in Bengaluru’s waste management efforts.