Panaji: Chief minister Pramod Sawant said that Goa is the first state to set up a municipal solid waste to biogas and biogas to energy plant, and that this has been successfully operating for nine years.
“Goa has transported five lakh tonnes of refuse derived fuel for co-incineration to cement plants, saving three lakh tonnes of coal,” said Sawant. “Goa is the first state in Asia to implement a deposit refund scheme and the first in the world to implement it for multi-layered plastic waste which otherwise has no value.” He was speaking at a Goa energy development agency (GEDA) programme. Sawant said a plant would be set up to convert multi-layered plastic to fuel to reduce Goa’s carbon footprint.
Goa’s industries require 300 tonnes of biomass briquettes per day to fuel their boilers, he said, adding that this is being supplied by neighbouring states as Goa doesn’t generate biomass from agriculture like other states do.
Goa releases horticulture and coconut waste, garden waste, and tree pruning waste for biomass supply. He said that GEDA has launched a portal to aggregate biomass to help horticulturists and local bodies to generate revenue from their waste. He also said that the 40 tonnes per day biomass plant set up at Saligao is successfully operating, with govt encouraging more such plants in other talukas.
The CM added that Goa’s vision is to meet the net zero emissions target by 2050, by encouraging clean mobility, clean efficiency, and renewable energy adoption.
