Chief Minister Inspects Perungudi Bio-CNG Plant, Orders Statewide Waste Segregation Drive

PRESS RELEASE The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, after personally inspecting the Perungudi Bio-CNG Plant — operated on a public-private partnership basis on behalf of Greater Chennai Corporation — directed officials of Greater Chennai Corporation that the 6,150 metric tonnes of waste generated daily in Chennai city should be segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable categories, that biodegradable waste should be converted entirely into biogas and compost, and that plastic and non-biodegradable waste should be used for road construction and as fuel for cement plants. He further directed that this exercise be implemented in urban areas across Tamil Nadu, with a defined timeline. Today (20.07.2026), the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru C. Joseph Vijay, on behalf of Greater Chennai Corporation, personally inspected the Perungudi Bio-CNG Plant, run on a public-private partnership basis, and reviewed the plant's operations and the complete process of converting segregated biodegradable wet waste into renewable biogas. Greater Chennai Corporation collects 6,150 metric tonnes of waste daily, of which about 3,200 metric tonnes is biodegradable waste and 2,950 metric tonnes comprises non-biodegradable waste and roadside silt. Biodegradable waste collected by Greater Chennai Corporation was earlier converted to compost through the Windrow method. Currently, using modern technology, biodegradable waste such as plant, vegetable and fruit waste is converted through fermentation into Compressed Natural Gas and used as fuel. As a result, stormwater drains and rivers in Chennai are becoming cleaner, and air quality is also improving. The Perungudi Bio-CNG plant has the capacity to process 140 metric tonnes of wet waste per day. Currently, about 120 to 140 metric tonnes of segregated wet waste collected by Greater Chennai Corporation is being processed at this plant daily. When operating at full capacity, the plant is designed to produce about 4,900 kg of biogas per day. The biogas produced is purified, compressed, filled into cylinders, and distributed to restaurants, hotels, business establishments and fuel stations. This converts waste into a useful renewable fuel and promotes the circular economy. Similarly, a Bio-CNG plant with a capacity of 180 metric tonnes per day is operating in the Madhavaram area, processing about 160 to 180 metric tonnes of wet waste daily. To further enhance the capacity for scientific processing of biodegradable wet waste in Chennai city and strengthen the infrastructure for producing renewable energy from waste, Greater Chennai Corporation is setting up five more Bio-CNG plants with a combined processing capacity of 500 metric tonnes per day. The Hon'ble Chief Minister directed that, in Greater Chennai Corporation as well as other municipalities/town panchayats, waste should be collected from households after segregation into biodegradable and non-biodegradable categories; the segregated biodegradable waste should be converted into biogas; and non-biodegradable waste should be used for laying tar roads and supplied to cement factories. He further directed that scientific waste disposal be undertaken in all urban local bodies across Tamil Nadu, within a fixed timeline. During this inspection, MLA Thiru V.K. Ramkumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, Thiru Gagandeep Singh Bedi IAS, Director of Municipal Administration Thiru Ve. Madhusudhan Reddy IAS, Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation Dr. G.S. Sameeran IAS, Joint Commissioner (Health) of Greater Chennai Corporation Smt. Sreya P. Singh IAS, Central Zone Deputy Commissioner Thiru H.R. Kaushik IAS, and the management of the Perungudi Bio-CNG plant were present. ••••••••• Issued By: - DIPR, Secretariat, Chennai – 9