Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurates CBG plant at Brahmapuram

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday (February 27, 2026) inaugurated a 150-tonne compressed biogas (CBG)-based waste treatment plant funded by BPCL Kochi Refinery (BPCL KR) at Brahmapuram in Kochi.

Delivering the inaugural address online, Mr. Vijayan said the commissioning of the plant marked a significant stride in Kerala’s capacity to treat biodegradable waste. Kochi has become the first city in the State to have a CBG facility, which can generate 5.60 tonnes of CBG and 28 tonnes of fermented organic manure a day. The project, he noted, would benefit both BPCL and the Kochi Corporation.

Agreements have been signed with BPCL to set up similar plants in Kozhikode and Kollam, while projects are being developed under the Public-Private Partnership model in Palakkad and Thrissur, and another under the Kerala Solid Waste Management Project in Changanassery in Kottayam. “We will be able to make further progress in biodegradable waste treatment once these plants also become operational,” Mr. Vijayan said.

In his keynote address, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi said that while the efforts of the State government, the Chief Minister, and the Local Self-Government department were commendable, credit must also go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and demanded a round of applause for their role. Minister for Local Self-Government M.B. Rajesh, who presided over the inaugural function, was probably unaware of it, he said. Mr. Rajesh later told the media that “people know the truth,” listing Kerala’s achievements in waste management.

Offering felicitations after Mr. Gopi had left, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve said that had the State been informed earlier of the Union government’s push for cleaner energy, it could have engaged directly with the Centre to ensure faster implementation. He described the commissioning of the plant as a historic moment in Kerala’s waste management journey.

MLA P.V. Sreenijin remarked that applause would have come unprompted had the Petroleum Ministry reduced fuel prices. Kochi Mayor V.K. Minimol, district panchayat president K.G. Radhakrishnan, deputy mayor Deepak Joy, Local Self-Government department Secretary T.V. Anupama, Suchitwa Mission Executive director Binu Francis, and BPCL director (Refineries) with additional charge of chairperson and managing director Sanjay Khanna were among those present.