Nalgonda rice miller sets up 12-cr husk-based power unit

Palem (Nalgonda): A rice mill at Palem village in Anumula mandal of Nalgonda district has set an example by setting up an eco-friendly state of the art husk-based power unit generating power meeting its power requirements.

The Vajrateja Rice Clusters is said to be the largest rice mill in the state in about seven acres and was constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore. The power unit set up in the rice mill generates about 1.37 MW of power from husk it gets from milling rice.

The entire process of production, from raw paddy to rice and packing, is completely hands-free. The industry provides employment to 300 persons. It has paddy crushing capacity of 32 tonnes per hour.

They established a power plant with an estimated cost of Rs 12 crore within the premises after obtaining necessary permissions. Vajrateja Rice Clusters MD Chittiprolu Yadagiri told Hans India that the husk is carried to the power plant through conveyors and is used as biofuel to turbines located in the power plant to generate designated power.

According to the staff of the power plant, 1.37 MW power per hour is being produced from husk-run turbines. As many as 33 persons work in the power plant round the clock to ensure smooth running of the plant.

Yadagiri said the story does not end there. They have also set up an ultra-modern effluent plant, where 70% of treated water is reused. The technology of the unit is designed in such a way that paddy with higher moisture content can also be used for processing without any obstacles. This advanced technology helps farmers sell their farm produce soon after crop is cut and nullifies the waiting time at paddy procurement centres.

He further said that they were using machines imported from Japan and Germany to process parboiled and normal rice. He said they were also selling rice to other states. However, he said, if the government takes a policy decision to give incentives to promote eco-friendly industries, more such units can come up in the state which would help farmers and the entrepreneurs, he added.