Architects: INI Design Studio
Area: 7,825 m²
Year: 2021
Photography: INI Design Studio
Structural Engineering: DELF Consulting Engineers (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Landscape Design: INI Design Studio
Project Director: Jayesh Hariyani
Project Leader: Rakhi Rupani
Senior Project Architect: Bhargav A Bhavsar
Client: Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between Goodswatts WTE Jamnagar Private Limited (SPV of Abellon Clean Energy Group) and Jamnagar Municipal Corporation
Project Director Mepf Engineering: Amit Mehta
Technology & Process Conceptualization And Engineering: Abellon Clean Energy
City: Jamnagar
Country: India
The Waste To Energy Campus, designed by INI Design Studio in Jamnagar, Gujarat, is a pioneering project in India’s Waste to Energy sector. Completed in 2021, this 7,825 m² campus converts 220,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually into 7.5 MW of clean energy, providing power for 15,000 homes while maintaining zero toxic emissions.
Waste management is a global issue with local impact, and reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse is a core concern of the UN. India faces a pressing challenge, with 62 million tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generated annually, only 69% of which is collected and a mere 28% treated, leading to open landfills. Aligned with the Paris Accord, COP 26, and the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission initiated by the Indian Prime Minister, Abellon, a pioneer in India’s Waste to Energy (WTE) sector, aimed to process and dispose of 50-100% of the city waste, using controlled combustion technology, without the spread of odor, pathogens, or harmful emissions, which complies with MSW rule 2016 (initiated by Government of India through Ministry of Environment Forest & Climate Change) and European Emission Norms.
The 7,825 m² WTE project campus at Jamnagar, Gujarat, converts 220,000 tons/year of MSW into 7.5 MW clean energy, enough to power 15,000 homes, with zero toxic emissions, while transforming a 17-acre barren land into a greenbelt, with social infrastructure like a jogging track, playfield, research, and community spaces. Using only 20% of the site, the rest is reserved 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 optimizes 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 and significantly reducing operational costs and energy consumption. Its light weight allows for efficient, easy installation and reconfiguration, and its high strength renders it resistant to impact and fracture.
Water conservation and landscaping are key focuses. Unlike routine garbage collection landfills, which are shunned due to stench and toxicity, here citizens benefit from a green social landscape and fresh air. Orchards, green hedge walls, water bodies, and misting systems 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 vapor. The roof and non-roof surfaces capture 100% runoff through 10 recharge wells.
Additional value chains in the Waste-to-Energy sector include 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, creating a circular economy. Design focus expanded to offer opportunities to host educational trips and research platforms, and benefits to workers contributed to social upliftment for the region.
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 (part of World 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.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: Navagam, Jamnagar, Gujarat 361008, India
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
