The Mohali Municipal Corporation has approved a proposal to establish a large-scale compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Samgauli village in Dera Bassi, marking a fresh push towards scientific processing of municipal waste and renewable energy generation in the Mohali region.
The proposed facility will have the capacity to process around 300 tonnes of segregated wet waste every day. It is planned in collaboration with HPCL Renewable & Green Energy Limited (HPRGE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited.
The project is intended to serve the wider Mohali urban cluster rather than Mohali city alone. Wet waste from nine urban local bodies — Mohali, Zirakpur, Kharar, Nayagaon, Dera Bassi, Kurali, Lalru, Banur and Gharuan — is proposed to be brought to the facility for processing.
The plant will convert biodegradable municipal waste into compressed biogas and fermented organic manure. The project is therefore expected to combine waste management with renewable energy production, while reducing the amount of organic waste that ultimately requires disposal.
The Municipal Corporation has around 39 acres of land at Samgauli. Under the proposal, around 15 to 20 acres could be allotted for the project for a period of 30 years, subject to the required terms, conditions and approvals.
HPRGE is expected to undertake the feasibility study, soil investigation and project planning and will bear the capital expenditure required for establishing the facility. The company would also be responsible for installing the plant, machinery and associated utilities, as well as operating and maintaining the facility.
A key requirement for the project will be a regular supply of segregated wet waste. The participating local bodies will have to ensure that the required organic waste reaches the plant in a suitable form for processing.
The proposal also includes provisions relating to road access, statutory clearances and utility services. These arrangements will need to be worked out between the company, the Municipal Corporation and the other participating civic bodies before the project can move into the construction stage.
The latest approval is not the first attempt to develop a waste-processing facility at Samgauli. The site has been considered for different waste-management solutions over the years. A previous Waste-to-CBG project proposal was also taken up by the Municipal Corporation, with official records showing that a tender process had been initiated in 2024.
The latest proposal comes amid continuing concerns over waste management in the Greater Mohali area. A regional solid-waste facility at Samgauli has faced delays over several years, while residents’ groups have recently raised environmental concerns and approached the National Green Tribunal over the status of waste-processing arrangements.
The proposed CBG facility is therefore being viewed as a potential new direction for the site. Instead of relying solely on conventional waste disposal, the project would focus on processing the biodegradable component of municipal waste and converting it into useful products.
If implemented successfully, the facility could also reduce the pressure on existing waste-disposal systems. Processing wet waste separately is considered an important part of scientific solid-waste management because organic material can be treated through biological processes rather than being mixed with other forms of municipal waste.
The production of compressed biogas could provide an additional renewable-energy resource. CBG can be used as a fuel, while the organic residue from the process can be converted into manure, creating a second useful output from municipal waste.
The project also has a regional character. With waste from multiple urban local bodies proposed to be processed at one location, the facility could become an important component of waste management across the Mohali cluster.
According to the proposal, the next stages will include land demarcation, feasibility assessment and the completion of necessary formalities. The Municipal Corporation will then proceed towards agreements with HPRGE, including an MoU, a wet-waste supply arrangement and a long-term land lease, subject to the required approvals.
The proposal will also require the necessary government and statutory clearances before implementation. The Municipal Corporation’s approval therefore represents an important step, but construction and operation of the plant will follow only after the remaining procedural requirements are completed.
For Mohali, the project could provide an opportunity to address two growing urban challenges at the same time — the increasing volume of municipal waste and the need for cleaner energy solutions.
The success of the Samgauli project, however, will ultimately depend on timely execution, proper segregation of waste at source, reliable transportation of wet waste and effective long-term operation of the facility.
If these conditions are met, the proposed 300-tonne-per-day CBG plant could become a significant part of the region’s waste-management infrastructure and provide Mohali and neighbouring towns with a more resource-oriented approach to handling biodegradable municipal waste.
