Resource detail

The task force headed by K Kasturirangan has proposed a target of setting up 215 Waste to Energy plants by 2031 to generate 1,075 MW of power and has strongly pitched for setting these up through public-private partnerships (PPPs) with viability gap funding of up to 40 per cent. Viability gap funding is a form of capital subsidy provided by the Government to make the projects financial feasible for private entrepreneurs. The task force, which submitted its report to the Planning Commission, also calls for an integrated approach towards municipal solid waste management, stressing the need for segregation of waste at source with private sector help. Since the urban local bodies (ULBs) lack the financial and institutional capacity necessary for integrated management of municipal solid waste, which requires investments, especially for ‘Waste to Energy’ projects, “it is appropriate to transfer the commercial risks to the private sector in order to ensure an efficient system for collection, transportation and processing of waste for generation of electricity,” it says.