Haryana is preparing to turn one of its growing urban problems — municipal waste — into a potential source of energy.
The state has signed agreements for four integrated waste-to-energy projects in the Hisar, Ambala, Faridabad and Gurugram clusters. Together, the proposed facilities are expected to process around 5,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day and generate about 50 megawatts of power.
The projects are being developed with Oil India Limited’s green-energy subsidiary, OIL Green Energy Limited, which has signed agreements with the four municipalities.
The proposed facilities will also produce an estimated 70-75 tonnes of compressed biogas (CBG) per day, creating a second energy stream from waste that would otherwise require disposal.
The four facilities have different processing capacities. The Hisar cluster is planned for around 500 tonnes of waste a day, Ambala for 900 tonnes, Faridabad for 1,600 tonnes and Gurugram for 2,000 tonnes.
The Gurugram project is particularly significant because the city generates enormous quantities of waste as a result of its rapidly expanding population, commercial activity and residential development.
The proposed model is based on scientific processing and segregation. Instead of treating waste simply as material to be transported to landfill sites, the projects aim to recover useful resources and convert organic material into energy.
If implemented effectively, the approach could address two problems simultaneously: waste disposal and the search for cleaner sources of energy.
But the success of waste-to-energy projects depends heavily on the quality of waste segregation.
Mixed municipal waste is considerably harder and more expensive to process efficiently. Organic waste, recyclable materials, plastics and hazardous waste need to be separated as far as possible. That means municipalities will need to improve collection systems and encourage households, commercial establishments and institutions to segregate waste at source.
The proposed plants are expected to become operational by October 2028,
That gives Haryana time to build the supporting infrastructure required for the projects.
The state will need reliable waste collection, transportation networks, transfer stations and processing facilities. It will also need strict environmental monitoring to ensure that waste-to-energy does not simply shift pollution from landfills to air emissions.
The project comes at a time when Haryana’s major urban centres are under increasing pressure from rapid development.
Gurugram, Faridabad, Ambala and Hisar represent very different urban environments, but all face the common challenge of managing increasing quantities of municipal waste.
For Gurugram in particular, the issue is part of a wider debate about whether infrastructure has kept pace with urban expansion. The city’s recurring waterlogging, traffic congestion and waste-management problems have all raised questions about long-term planning.
The proposed waste-to-energy plants could therefore become part of a broader urban infrastructure strateg
