The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has launched a Rs 16-crore biogas facility in southwest Delhi capable of processing 200 tonnes of cattle waste daily. This project supports the 'Waste to Wealth' initiative by converting dairy runoff into compressed biogas for Indraprastha Gas Limited. For the industry, this marks a continued effort to integrate local waste-to-energy sources into the city’s energy supply chain.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has inaugurated a new biogas processing facility on Main Goyla Dairy Road, aiming to address the issue of dairy waste polluting the Yamuna river. The project, which cost Rs 16 crore to develop, is designed to process 200 metric tonnes of cattle dung every day. The plant produces 14,000 cubic metres of raw biogas daily, which is then purified into 5.6 tonnes of compressed biogas. This fuel will be supplied directly to Indraprastha Gas Limited through a pipeline network.
This initiative operates on a circular economic model designed to create a sustainable revenue stream for local dairy farmers. Under the procurement system established for this site, the plant operators purchase cattle dung from local livestock owners at a rate of 67 paise per kilogram. The remaining slurry from the production process is converted into organic fertiliser for use in agriculture. This model is intended to solve the dual challenges of managing large volumes of animal waste and providing dairy operators with a financial incentive to dispose of it responsibly rather than releasing it into the city drainage network.
This launch is the latest addition to the Union government's 'Waste to Wealth' strategy. The municipal authorities have been scaling this model, with three similar plants becoming operational in Delhi over the last 18 months. Data from the existing Nangli Sakrawati plant suggests that this approach can yield measurable results; that facility processed 55,000 tonnes of waste in its first year while distributing Rs 3.5 crore to local farmers. The government has also allocated Rs 50 crore for broader improvements to drainage and waste collection infrastructure in dairy clusters, which officials describe as a shift toward more performance-driven civic management.
For energy sector observers, these projects are part of a broader push to increase the share of locally sourced compressed biogas in the city gas distribution network. While these individual plants are relatively small in the context of the total fuel demand handled by a company like Indraprastha Gas Limited, they represent a recurring strategy to secure domestic gas supplies and lower dependence on outside sources. As the municipal body moves forward with plans for six additional units, the long-term effectiveness will depend on the consistent collection of waste, the reliability of the supply pipeline, and the ability of the plant operators to maintain high utilisation levels of the processing equipment.