Climate Impact and Feasibility Analysis of Incineration Based Waste-to-Energy Plants in Delhi

Managing the increasing municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in cities across India has increasingly become a challenge for Pollution Control Boards and Civic Authorities. The increasing population of Delhi has led to overflowing landfills that contaminate groundwater and release tonnes of greenhouse gases. Lately, waste to energy (WtE) plants have emerged as the preferred option in Delhi for waste processing but their adoption has been marred with public disapproval, emission violations and below-par energy production. This study quantifies the climate impact and investigates the financial feasibility of incineration based WtE units in Delhi. The Climate Impact estimates the Greenhouse Gas emissions of WtE Incinerators and compares them with the GHG emissions avoided via Electricity Generation and Landfilling. For Feasibility Analysis, the cost and revenue streams data were estimated to find out Net Present Values for the project lifecycle and Break-even Periods. The climate impact of all 3 WtE plants came out to be positive, with the Bawana WtE leading at 468,041 tonnes of CO₂-eq release. The Net Present Value after 20 years for Ghazipur, Bawana and Okhla WtE was at INR 594 million, 7541 million and 8965 million and break-even period was 12, 6, and 3 years, respectively. We conclude the study with policy recommendations & technical improvements aimed at improving feasibility, increasing renewable energy outputs and reducing the GHG emissions of WtE plants.