The 7825 sqm Waste to Energy Plant project at Jamnagar, Gujarat, converts 2,20,000 tons/year of MSW into 7.5 MW clean energy. It is enough to power 15000 homes, with zero toxic emissions, while transforming a 17-acre barren land into a greenbelt. It is also equipped with social infrastructure like a jogging track, playfield, research and community spaces.
Editor’s Note: “The design of this Gujarat industrial campus captures the very essence of the waste-to-energy concept. Its enchanting facade invites curiosity and lives up to its visionary name. Cloaked in a serene monotone, the campus stands as a singularly exquisite example of industrial elegance.” ~Simran Khare
This is India’s First Platinum-Rated Net-Zero Green Waste to Energy Plant | INI Design Studio
Waste management is a global issue with significant local impact. Reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse is a core concern of the United Nations. India faces a pressing challenge, generating 62 million tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) annually. Only 69% of this waste is collected, and a mere 28% is treated, leading to the problem of open landfills.
Abellon, a pioneer in India’s Waste to Energy (WTE) plant sector, aligns its efforts with the Paris Accord, COP 26, and the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission initiated by the Indian Prime Minister. The company aims to process and dispose of 50-100% of the city’s waste using controlled combustion technology. This approach eliminates the spread of odour, pathogens, and harmful emissions. Abellon’s methods comply with the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Rule 2016, initiated by the Government of India through the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, as well as European Emission Norms.
Moreover, the designers use only 20% of the site, reserving the rest for community activities and future expansion. Designed for the Indian urban context in terms of the type and quantum of waste generated, it involves almost no human interface during the process.
Adopting “form follows function”, the simple, open-span, lightweight prefab recycled steel structure optimises process flow by vertical stacking and sizing of the equipment. The translucent, recyclable multilayered polycarbonate façade system with a compact footprint minimizes the surface to volume ratio, enhancing thermal performance, significantly reducing operational costs and energy consumption.
Its light weight allows for efficient, easy installation and reconfiguration, and high strength renders it resistant to impact and fracture. Water conservation and landscaping are key focusses. Unlike routine garbage collection landfills which are shunned due to stench and toxicity, here citizens benefit from green social landscape and fresh air.
Orchards, green hedge walls, water bodies, and misting system, all guide cool breeze patterns, altering the microclimate. Over 40% of the landscaping is of drought- tolerant species.
Treated municipal wastewater and advanced mist turbine condenser cooling save auxiliary power and retain evaporated water vapour. The roof and non-roof surfaces capture 100% run-off through 10 recharge wells.
Additional value chains in the Waste-to-Energy sector, like producing BioCNG from organic MSW content, recovering recyclable plastic from heterogeneous MSW, green chemical production from specific components, co-firing eligible industrial waste, and converting fly ash into green construction blocks and pavers. Thus creating a circular economy.
Moreover, the design focus expanded to offer opportunities to host educational trips and research platforms, and benefits to workers contributed to social upliftment for the region.
Additionally, this WTE Campus achieved the distinction of being awarded “India’s first platinum-rated net-zero Green Waste-to-Energy Campus” by the Indian Green Building Council and, the 2023 Green Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design, and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Fact File
Designed by: INI Design Studio
Project Type: Renewable Energy, Industrial Campus, PPP Project, Swatch Bharat Mission
Project Name: Waste To Energy (WTE) Campus
Location: Jamnagar, Gujarat, India
Year Built: November 2021
Built Area: 84227.6 Sq.ft
Client: Goodswatts WTE Jamnagar Private Limited (SPV Abellon Clean Energy Group)
Principal Director: Jayesh Hariyani
Project Lead: Rakhi Rupani
Sr. Project Architect: Bhargav A Bhavsar
Structural Engineer: DELF Consulting Engineers (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Technology & Process Conceptualization and Engineering: Abellon Clean Energy
Photograph Courtesy: INI Design Studio
Firm’s Website Link: INI Design Studio
The Firm’s Instagram Link: INI Design Studio
Firm’s Facebook Link: INI Design Studio
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