BPCL's CBG plant in Kochi to be inaugurated by Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan on Feb. 27

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited at Brahmapuram in Kochi on February 27, 2026, in the presence of Suresh Gopi, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism.

The inauguration of the CBG plant aligns with the Centre's efforts to reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. As envisaged under the National Biofuel Policy 2018, the project is expected to contribute to the target of lowering import dependence by 10%, with emphasis on second-generation (2G) bio-refineries and Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) plants.

Shri. M B Rajesh, Hon'ble Minister for Local Self Governments, Rural Development & Excise, Shri P Rajeev, Hon'ble Minister of Law, Industries & Coir, Govt of Kerala, Shri Sanjay Khanna, Director (Refineries) with Additional Charge of Chairman & Managing Director, BPCL, Shri Benny Behanan, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Chalakudy, Adv. P V Sreenijin, Hon'ble Member of Legislative Assembly, Kunnathunadu, Adv. Minimol V.K, Mayor of Kochi Municipal Corporation will be present.

The other dignitaries present in the stage will include Shri K G Radhakrishnan, President, Ernakulam District Panchayat, Smt. Tinku Biswal IAS, Principal Secretary - LSGD, Government of Kerala, Smt. Anupama TV IAS, Secretary LSGD, Govt of Kerala, Smt Priyanka G IAS, District Collector, Ernakulam, Smt. Amrita Sanoop, President, Vadavucode Block Panchayat, Shri Reji Thomas, President, Vadavucode Puthencruz Grama Panchayat, Shri Geromic George IAS, Principal Director LSGD, Shri Binu Francis IAS, Executive Director Shuchitwa Mission and Shri George Thomas, Chief General Manager (HR), Kochi Refinery.

For years, 110 acres at Brahmapuram remained burdened with nearly 3.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. The catastrophic fire on March 2, 2023, marked a decisive turning point. Following the incident, the Kerala High Court intervened and directed the Government of Kerala to implement an urgent and lasting solution. In response, BPCL Kochi Refinery proposed setting up a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)-based Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant at Brahmapuram, aimed at addressing Kochi's mounting municipal waste crisis. The Government of Kerala approved the proposal in November 2023.

The facility has been designed to process 150 tonnes of source-segregated biodegradable Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) per day. The Kochi Municipal Corporation allocated 10 acres of land for the establishment of the Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant. Municipal Solid Waste is supplied by the Corporation from its 180 collection points, routed through 21 health circles and transported using dedicated compactor trucks.

In the pre-treatment section, it is ensured that the feedstock is perfect for digestion. The pre-treated MSW is conveyed to the Unloading Pit, where an equal quantity of recycle water is added and mixed by a backhoe loader to form a slurry. This slurry is then screened via bar screens in the intermediate tanks before entering the Hydrolyser Tank, equipped with submersible agitators for uniform mixing.

Two massive digesters, each 12 meters high and 30 meters in diameter, seven numbers high-flow agitators inside ensure uniform substrate mixing. Raw biogas generated is temporarily accommodated in the top-mounted, two-layered balloon dome-the inner layer for the biogas, and the outer layer inflated for environmental protection. The output is dual: the biogas, and the Digestate.

From the digesters, raw biogas at low pressure moves to the Ground Mounded Storage Balloon for stabilization. The crucial step is purification. Our water scrubber system removes impurities like Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen Sulphide from the raw biogas and then the purified biogas is then compressed to 60 Kg/Cm2 and fed directly into the dedicated pipeline leading to the Kochi Refinery.

Slurry from the digester is routed to a Solid Liquid Separation system, separating Solid Fermented Organic Manure and Liquid Fermented Organic Manure. FOM is dried and bagged in the Fertilizer Shed. LFOM is recycled back to the unloading pit, with the surplus stored for sale or processed through the 120 KLD capacity Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP).

The facility is fully supported by a Ground Mounted Flare system, Fire Water System, Cooling Tower, Chillers, centralized Control Room, electrical substation & admin building ensuring robust, safe, and efficient operation.

The entire CBG plant is operated and monitored through a Honeywell C-900 PLC- SCADA based automation system. The control system is fully integrated with operator workstations, engineering workstations, and a centralized hardware console, enabling real-time monitoring, precise control, and data logging. The control room houses the main instrumentation control panels, including: (a) High-Pressure & Low-Pressure Compressor Control Panels (b) Air Blower Control Panels.

CCTV surveillance monitors covering all critical areas of the plant are installed in the control room, allowing operators to maintain continuous visual supervision of field operations.

Through a centralized substation of power is received from KSEB Brahmapuram substation at 11kV. Power is received through 2 Nos. of RMU and stepped down using 2 Nos. of 2MVA 11kV to 415V transformers. From there is it fed to Main PMCC panel having 18 verticals which is subsequently feeding the power to entire CBG plant. Substation is having one 100kVA Emergency Diesel generator, which will be supplying power to critical loads in case on incoming power failure.

Shares of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited was last trading in BSE at Rs. 385.90 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 381.00. The total number of shares traded during the day was 143659 in over 2621 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 387.15 and intraday low of 378.50. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 54978734.00.

Source : Equity Bulls

Keywords

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