Nagpur: Nagpur, Maharashtra’s second capital, is on track to deliver a national first in waste management as India’s largest municipal solid waste (MSW)-to-compressed biogas (CBG) plant using dry anaerobic digestion nears completion at Bhandewadi. The project, spread across 30 acres of land owned by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), is now only a few months away from full-scale commissioning, reports The Times of India.
The NMC has granted a four-month extension after an extended monsoon delayed construction, shifting the commissioning deadline to March 2026. Municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari confirmed the development and will oversee the plant’s cold commissioning on December 7.
The facility, conceptualised by Union minister Nitin Gadkari and launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is among the most ambitious waste-to-energy projects in the country. Despite rain-induced setbacks, the plant has successfully completed cold commissioning. SusBDe LOC Nagpur Pvt. Ltd., supported by the Keva Group and Netherlands-based Waste Treatment Technologies (WTT), has moved from structural construction to initial operational testing. Hot commissioning will take place in three phases and conclude by March 2026.
Although the NMC tender requires the processing of 1,000 tonnes per day of unsegregated waste, the developer has built a 1,500-tonne facility to accommodate Nagpur’s future waste output. The plant is projected to be not only India’s first large-scale dry fermentation MSW unit but also one of the largest globally.
A notable feature of this project is the requirement to demonstrate the technology on actual mixed Indian waste before full-scale construction — a condition not previously used in India’s waste sector. In December 2024, the Keva Group installed a mobile pilot plant at the site, proving that dry fermentation, common in Europe, could efficiently process India’s high-moisture, high-impurity waste. Its success cleared the way for the full-scale plant.
Dry anaerobic digestion offers several advantages over conventional biogas reactors, particularly in handling unsegregated waste. The process requires less energy, produces higher CBG output, reduces dependence on landfills, and cuts methane emissions. Company officials describe their approach as a first-time implementation built on engineering precision, automation and strong design systems.
The project’s origins lie in a Dutch-Indian collaboration. Dutch researcher Vrinda Thakur, inspired by the Swachh Bharat Mission and Nitin Gadkari’s emphasis on bio-energy, studied waste systems across Maharashtra. Her concept was later expanded by the Keva Group under managing director Kedar Vaze, who committed to fully private funding. The project follows a zero-tipping-fee and zero-discharge model, unlike most waste projects that cost municipal bodies around ₹800 per tonne. Instead, the NMC will incur zero cost and will earn royalty revenue — a first in India’s waste management sector.
Once fully operational, the plant will convert 550–600 tonnes of organic waste per day into CBG across 30 fermentation tunnels. It will also generate 400 tonnes of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) daily and send less than 10% of inert waste to a scientific landfill. Compost and soil conditioners will be produced on-site, significantly reducing the city’s carbon footprint. The facility has been designed to process all of Nagpur’s daily municipal waste.
Residents of the Bhandewadi area, including institutions such as Symbiosis and nearby neighbourhoods, have welcomed the transformation of what was once a neglected dumping ground into a modern, scientific waste-processing complex.
With cold commissioning in progress and hot commissioning set to begin in stages, the Bhandewadi plant is positioned to become one of India’s most significant waste-to-energy landmarks, placing Nagpur at the forefront of sustainable urban development.
