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Compressed Bio Gas ecosystem to give clean air a leg up

As many as 38 Compressed Bio Gas plants have been commissioned under the SATAT initiative.

With alternative fuel options being among the much sought after these days, India is also set to see some major strides in this terrain. The realisation that Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) could prove handy in the longer term has led the Union government to look at promoting the ecosystem around it.

As a first step towards the adoption of the fuel, Asia’s largest Compressed Bio Gas plant was kick-started in Lehragaga, in Punjab. According to Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Hardeep S. Puri, the plant would be just the beginning of India’s master plan for a CBG-based rural economy. He added that CBG is the need of the hour. This plant apart, as many as 38 CBG and biogas plants have been commissioned under the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative.

The plant, commissioned with an FDI of around Rs 220 crore by Verbio AG, one of Germany’s leading bio-energy companies, is being foreseen as capable of achieving objectives of the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation scheme, launched in October 2018.

Compressed Bio Gas from waste and biomass sources

The SATAT scheme is intended at putting in place an ecosystem for production of Compressed Bio Gas from various waste and biomass sources.

SATAT scheme has as its vision the empowerment of the rural economy by supporting farmers, increase India’s domestic energy production and self-sufficiency and also reduce air pollution. These measures are measures that would help India in leading the world toward a clean energy transition.

The CBG Plant at Sangrur, is spread across an area of around 20 acres, and has as its present production capacity about 6 TPD CBG. The plant will be scaled to process 300 Tons Per Day of paddy straw at maximum capacity to produce 33 TPD of CBG using 8 digesters of 10,000 cubic meters soon.

Win-win situation for farmers, environment

The minister added that initiatives such as the new CBG plants are a huge leap forward in arriving at a win-win situation for farmers and the environment. The Sangrur CBG plant is seen as benefitting the rural economy, as it will consume 100,000 tons of paddy straw to be procured from 6-8 satellite locations within a 10 km radius of the plant.

A daily production of about 600-650 tons of Fermented Organic Manure, which can be used for organic farming, will be generated. Further, the CBG Plant is also expected to provide direct employment to 390 and indirect employment to 585 people.

The farmers of Sangrur stand to benefit a lot as it will help generate additional income for them. More importantly, the plant will also be a much-needed alternative to stubble burning, as it would reduce stubble burning in around 45,000 acres of fields, thereby translating it into an annual reduction of 150,000 tons of CO2 emissions. Apart from ensuring cleaner air for the citizens of Sangrur, it is also seen as contributing towards India’s COP26 Climate Change targets of total projected carbon emissions.

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Sanjeev Ramachandran

A journalist with 23 years of experience, Sanjeev has worked with reputed media houses such as Business Standard, The Ne More »

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