Client: Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM)

Location: Mumbai, India

Project Description And Status:The Project’s purpose is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by capturing and utilizing the methane (CH4) in the LFG released by the Gorai landfill, and avoiding future GHG emissions from the decomposition of municipal solid waste residues. The captured methane will be combusted to generate electricity that will feed to the national power grid and used as an alternative source of cheap, indigenous, stable and renewable energy that will reduce dependence on grid power. Thus, in addition to directly eliminating a significant portion of the methane, which is a potent GHG with 21 times the global warming potential of CO2, the project will also displace fossil fuel-based electricity generation that would have emitted additional CO2. The part of landfill gas that is not used for electricity generation shall be flared.

The Gorai dumpsite is located in the western suburbs of Mumbai. It spreads over an area of 19.6 ha and is operational since 1972. The site is adjacent to Gorai creek and is very close to habitation. The daily receipt of MSW was 1200 TPD of MSW from the western suburbs of Mumbai wards H(W), K(W), P(S and N), R(S,C, and N) till January1, 2008  after which MCGM had stopped receiving fresh waste at Gorai. The contract for scientific closure has already been awarded to M/S United Phosphorus Limited- M/s Van der Weil Stortgas B.V, Netherlands (JV) after consultation with IL&FS.

The project is first of its kind in the host country and is expected to be commercially operational by March, 2009