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Patna : In a significant move towards sustainable urban development, the Bihar government has announced a Rs 514 crore 59 Lakh waste-to-energy project in the state capital, Patna. The scheme, aimed at tackling solid waste while producing electricity, biogas, and compost, has received in-principle approval from the central government and will serve as Bihar’s first solid waste management cluster.
The facility will be constructed in Ramchak Bairia, a site earmarked to process waste from Patna and 11 surrounding urban bodies, including Danapur, Fatuha, Khagaul, Phulwarisharif, and others. Once operational, the plant will handle up to 1,600 tonnes of solid waste daily, significantly boosting waste processing rates in a region where current figures remain low.
Announcing the project at a press conference on Thursday, Urban Development and Housing Minister Jivesh Kumar said the plant would be established under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. “We are aiming to complete this project within two and a half years,” he said, calling it a model initiative that will later be replicated in other cities.
The central government has also agreed to extend financial support under its Viability Gap Funding Scheme—a first in the country for a social infrastructure project focused on solid waste management.
According to the minister, the integrated plant will include:
- A 15 MW power plant from processed solid waste
- A 100-tonne per day bio-methanation unit
- A 250-tonne per day material recovery facility (MRF) cum refuse-derived fuel (RDF) plant
- An additional 50-tonne MRF unit
- A 700-tonne composting facility
- A landfill with a capacity of 325 tonnes per day
