Cuttack: Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has signed a pact with Oil India Limited (OIL) for setting up a Rs 150 crore compressed biogas (CBG) plant in Jagatpur.
Official sources said the concessionaire agreement signed on Friday is for the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of a 200 tonne-per-day (TPD) municipal solid waste (MSW)-based CBG plant.
Executive Director of OIL Ranjan Goswami and CMC commissioner Anam Charan Patra signed the MoU in the presence of Housing and Urban Development minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra. The aim is to transform the city’s waste management and clean energy infrastructure.
The facility, spanning 11 acres, is expected to be operational within 22 months. According to the details shared at the event, the plant will process 200 tonnes of segregated municipal solid waste daily, converting it into 10-15 tonnes of biogas and organic manure.
Further, OIL will oversee design, funding, construction, and operations, while the CMC will supply segregated waste.
The project is set to create 75 direct jobs for plant operations and maintenance, offering local employment opportunities in technical and managerial roles.
The plant will produce compressed biogas for industrial and commercial use, reducing reliance on fossil fuels. A by-product, organic manure, will support agricultural activities while addressing waste disposal challenges and aligning with Odisha’s green energy vision.
The initiative follows CMC’s recent efforts to clear 7,000 tons of legacy waste near the Mahanadi riverbank, spurred by a March 2024 Orissa High Court order banning dumping at Gadagadia Ghat.
It may be noted that the proposed plant at Cuttack is part of a statewide push. In December 2024, Oil India Limited signed a similar pact with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation for a 200 TPD plant, with plans to scale capacity to 300 TPD. Additional projects in Puri, Sambalpur, Rourkela, and Berhampur are also underway.
