Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian Government to Setup 5000 Compressed Biogas Plants in Next Five Years

Indian government is keen to set up 5000 compressed biogas (CBG) plants in the next five years, and for this purpose, production offtake guarantee is being given for such plants, said India’s petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday (1) launching an innovative initiative, SATAT in New Delhi, with PSU Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) from potential entrepreneurs to set up CNG production plants and make available CBG in the market for use in automotive fuels.

Speaking on the occasion, the petroleum minister added that the Swachhta (cleanliness drive) fortnight is being observed throughout the country, and this is a significant move in this direction. He said that the gas is clean and cheaper mode of fuel and the government has taken several steps to promote its production and usage.


There will be no restriction on the technology choice and government is incurring £7.86 billion capital expenditure for setting up the infrastructure for City Gas distribution network. Besides the potential to boost availability of more affordable transport fuels, better use of agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste, the CBG plants will provide an additional revenue source to farmers, and 75,000 direct job opportunities and hundred thousands of indirect jobs.

He said that not only OMCs but other gas distribution companies and concerned departments should also take part in it.

The minister said that currently 4.2 million households are getting PNG supply, and there is a commitment to cover 20 million households in 300 districts by the suppliers after the implementation of the 9th round of CGD bids.

Titled SATAT, the initiative is aimed at providing a Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation as a developmental effort that would benefit both vehicle-users as well as farmers and entrepreneurs.

This initiative holds great promise for efficient municipal solid waste management and in tackling the problem of polluted urban air due to farm stubble-burning and carbon emissions. Use of CBG will also help bring down dependency on crude oil imports and in realising the Indian prime minister’s vision of enhancing farmers’ income, rural employment and entrepreneurship.

Biogas is produced naturally through a process of anaerobic decomposition from waste, bio-mass sources like agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste, and others.

After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has pure methane content of over 95 per cent. CBG is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential. With calorific value (52,000 KJ/kg) and other properties similar to CNG, CBG can be used as an alternative, renewable automotive fuel. Given the abundance of biomass in the country, CBG has the potential to replace CNG in automotive, industrial and commercial uses in the coming years.

The potential for CBG from various sources in India is estimated at about 62 million tonnes per annum. CBG plants are proposed to be set up mainly through independent entrepreneurs. CBG produced at these plants will be transported through cascades of cylinders to the fuel station networks of OMCs for marketing as a green transport fuel alternative.

The 1,500-strong CNG stations network in the country currently serves about 3.2 million gas-based vehicles. The working group on biofuels, set up under the National Policy on Biofuels 2018, is in the process of finalising a pan-India pricing model for CBG.

The entrepreneurs would be able to separately market the other by-products from these plants, including bio-manure, carbon-dioxide, and others to enhance returns on investment.

Going forward, CBG networks can be integrated with city gas distribution (CGD) networks to boost supplies to domestic and retail users in existing and upcoming markets. Besides retailing from OMC fuel stations, CBG can at a later date be injected into CGD pipelines too for efficient distribution and optimised access of a cleaner and more affordable fuel.

More For You

Bank of England

In a statement, the central bank pointed to a recent rise in energy prices, citing the 'escalation of the conflict in the Middle East' as a factor.

Getty Images

Bank of England holds interest rate at 4.25 per cent

THE BANK OF ENGLAND (BoE) kept its key interest rate at 4.25 per cent on Thursday, citing persistent inflation and rising risks from US tariffs and the conflict between Israel and Iran.

The decision, which was widely expected, came a day after the US Federal Reserve also left its interest rates unchanged, pointing to continued inflation and slowing growth in the United States.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan army-backed firm joins race for national airline
FILE PHOTO: Passengers board a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight at the airport in Kabul on September 13, 2021. (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan army-backed firm joins race for national airline

TWO of Pakistan's leading business groups and a company backed by the powerful military will bid for the country's ailing national carrier, a divestment the government hopes will kickstart the privatisations of state-owned enterprises.

The sale of Pakistan International Airlines will be the first major privatisation for around two decades, with the sale of loss-making state-owned enterprises a condition of last year's $7 billion (£5.5bn) bailout by the International Monetary Fund.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi accuses India of kidnapping
Choksi, accused in a bank fraud case in India, has been arrested in Belgium and plans to appeal for release, citing medical grounds. (Photo: Getty Images)

Fugitive jeweller Mehul Choksi accuses India of kidnapping

FUGITIVE jeweller Mehul Choksi accused India of orchestrating his kidnapping to extradite him on fraud allegations, with his lawyers telling London's High Court on Monday (16) that only India had the motivation and resources to do so.

Choksi – who was arrested in Belgium in April – is wanted in India over his alleged involvement in one of India's biggest bank frauds at Punjab National Bank, which in 2018 announced it had discovered alleged fraud worth $1.8 billion (£1.29bn).

Keep ReadingShow less
UK Inflation

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) stood at 2.6 per cent in March, down from 2.8 per cent in February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. (Representational image: iStock)

: iStock

Inflation eases to 3.4 per cent in May, stays above forecast

UK INFLATION eased slightly in May but remained above expectations, according to official figures released on Wednesday, adding to speculation that the Bank of England will keep interest rates unchanged this week.

The Consumer Prices Index fell to 3.4 per cent in May from 3.5 per cent in April, which had marked a 15-month high, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Indian entrepreneurs lead America's billion-dollar start-up boom

Jyoti Bansal (Photo: X)

Indian entrepreneurs lead America's billion-dollar start-up boom

A NEW study revealed that India has become the top source of foreign-born founders behind America’s most valuable start-ups, highlighting the country's growing influence in the global technology sector.

Research by Stanford University’s Venture Capital Initiative showed that Indian entrepreneurs have founded 90 "unicorn" companies - start-ups valued at over $1 billion - in the US.

Keep ReadingShow less