Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has directed officials to expand biogas plants across the state to strengthen solid waste management and increase renewable energy generation.
During a surprise visit to the 100-tonnes-per-day (TPD) biogas plant at Chetpet in Chennai on Monday, the chief minister reviewed the facility’s operations and instructed officials to replicate the model in other urban local bodies, The Times of India reported.
The Chetpet plant, operational since 2022 and managed by Srinivas Waste Management Solutions, processes wet waste using microorganisms in an oxygen-free environment to produce biogas rich in methane and carbon dioxide. The facility generates annual revenue of about ₹1.2 crore.
Following the inspection, Vijay approved the preparation of detailed project reports for similar biogas plants in the municipal corporations of Vellore, Erode, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Nagercoil. He also directed officials to expand the initiative to all 25 municipal corporations in the state.
The inspection was attended by Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department Secretary Gagandeep Singh Bedi and Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner G.S. Sameeran.
State officials said work is already underway on three additional 100-TPD biogas plants—one at Sholinganallur and two at Koyambedu. Two more facilities are also planned at Madhavaram and Sholinganallur.
Once these projects become operational, Chennai’s total biogas processing capacity is expected to increase to around 800 tonnes of wet waste per day, significantly enhancing the city’s waste-to-energy infrastructure while reducing the volume of waste sent to landfills.
