Please find below a list of comments from WTERT-India (Waste-to-Energy Research and Technology Council, a combination of experts from Columbia University and India’s National Environmental Engineering Research Institute) on the Consultative Paper. These comments are also provided in a word format, attached to this email for your comfort. Comments: 1. We suggest a preferential tariff of Rs. 6.5 – Rs. 12 to make waste to energy projects sustainable in India. This suggestion is based on an assumption that tipping fees for waste treatment will also increase simultaneously. 2. To learn from the most recent experience in making municipal waste based power plants viable, we can look at China, and Sri Lanka (Table 1 is in the attached word document). 3. China offers a preferential tariff more than Rs. 6/unit (US$ 0.1). Because of this policy, China now has more than 110 plants, which were built in the last decade. These plants are not only generating renewable power, but they also reduce the public health hazard that MSW poses. 4. Sri Lanka offers a preferential tariff more than Rs. 12/unit (US$ 0.2), which is 4 times the tariff we offer in India. This change was made to make their waste-to-energy plant viable. 5. In addition to such supportive preferential tariffs, China and Sri Lanka offer an average tipping fees of Rs. 1,200/tonne (US$ 19) and Rs. 185/tonne (US$ 3) respectively. 6. In India, we offer a tariff which is around Rs. 3/unit (US$ 0.05) and provide negative or less than Rs. 300/tonne tipping fees. In such a case, even if we used technology from China, which is reliable and the most economical technology in the world, we will still be unable to meet the costs of WTE plants. 7. One of the main differences between waste-to-energy plants and conventional power plants is that more than half of the capital expenditure in WTE plants goes towards pollution control equipment, which not only makes waste-to-energy one of the cleanest sources of energy, but also expensive. But, waste-to-energy should also always be looked at from a triplebenefit perspective of reducing public health damage – conserving environment – and generating energy. No other nonconventional energy source offers such benefits. 8. Waste-to-Energy is the only technology available to safely treat municipal solid wastes at a large scale while recovering energy and materials. Considering that more than 91% of India’s 188,000 tonnes of urban waste generated is left untreated, adversely impacting public health and quality of life of 300 million urban Indians, waste-to-energy is not just an energy generating technology, but it has the potential to improve millions of lives across India every day. We urge you to and hope that you will consider increasing the preferential tariff for WTE to a level where it will make it possible to safely treat and dispose our solid wastes at a large scale. All the best with the process, Ranjith Annepu India Coordinator, Global WTERT Council Featured Article: The Hindu - Time to put garbage on the table Mobile: +91 995-995-1505 (India)