The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has partnered with a private agency to upgrade and operate a wet-waste-based CNG plant at Pathardi in Nashik, converting segregated organic waste into compressed natural gas (CNG) by September 2026.

The civic administration has fixed September 2026 as the deadline to operationalise its revamped wet waste-based CNG facility at Pathardi on the city’s outskirts. The initiative seeks to convert the NMC's previously defunct waste-to-energy (WTE) plant into a more sustainable and commercially viable green fuel generation unit. A private firm has already been selected through the tendering process and issued a formal work order, with preliminary work likely to begin soon. The modernised plant will be developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, under which the chosen agency will handle the technical revamp, commissioning, and long-term operations. The existing WTE facility is being thoroughly upgraded to convert it into a wet waste-based CNG plant.

The private concessionaire will infuse close to ₹4.5 crore (US$0.5 million) towards technical modernisation, installation of new equipment, and system integration. In exchange, the NMC will receive a fixed revenue share of ₹4.5 per kg from the sale of the CNG produced. Officials believe this arrangement will make the project financially sustainable without placing an added capital strain on civic funds. The proposed plant is expected to produce about 480 kg of CNG daily, processing nearly 30 metric tonnes of segregated wet waste each day as feedstock.

The NMC’s earlier WTE facility at Pathardi was established in 2015 with technical assistance from GIZ and awarded to a Bengaluru-based operator, with a planned capacity of generating 3,300 units of electricity per day. However, the project encountered ongoing technical and operational difficulties, and the operator was unable to meet the targeted output. As a result, the civic body cancelled the contract in July 2021 and assumed control of the plant. Subsequently, the corporation tried to operate the facility using food waste collected from hotels, but irregular supply and operational constraints led to its closure. This experience prompted authorities to transition to a CNG-based model. Civic officials are optimistic that the revamped initiative will ensure improved efficiency, stable production, and a more sustainable approach to waste management in the city.