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Time of India
08-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Existing government initiatives must be integrated to boost biogas sector: IBA
Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Indian Biogas Association IBA ) on Thursday proposed integrating government initiatives like Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT), GOBARDhan, and CBG (compressed biogas) blending into a unified national mission to boost the biogas sector. This suggestion was made in a white paper launched by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari , which also recommended centralised tracking, standardised benchmarking, and integrated funding to scale up biogas deployment in recommendations included mandating phased CBG blending across sectors, creating a green certificate ecosystem and accelerating decentralised biogas infrastructure development. Additional proposals included incentivising waste segregation and feedstock supply chains, improving rural energy access with clean cooking fuel, bridging the skill gap through workforce programs and empowering women through biogas it called for promoting biogas as a primary cooking fuel in rural India by introducing targeted subsidies, encouraging the use of LPG-biogas hybrid stoves, and aligning efforts with the Ujjwala Yojana and City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks.'Approximately 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste lacks proper scientific treatment and goes underutilized annually, while over 80% of rural households still depend on biomass fuels. Meanwhile, India imports over 85% of its crude oil, exposing the economy to global price volatility and straining foreign reserves. Unifying all three missions under one, will bring in synergies and better management and utilization of existing resources," IBA Chairman Gaurav Kedia said in the emphasised that Indian agriculture needs to become economically viable to make the country self-reliant (Atmanirbhar).The Union Minister highlighted examples of ethanol production from crops like corn, bamboo, and broken rice, which have increased farmers' incomes. For instance, corn prices rose from Rs 1,200 to Rs 2,600 per quintal after its use in ethanol production began, demonstrating the potential for economic growth through viable noted that developing a strong biofuel market will help reduce India's demand for fossil fuels. "If we want to reduce pollution, then green fuel is very important for sustainable development," he imports over 85% of its crude oil, making the economy vulnerable to global price fluctuations and putting pressure on foreign exchange India's fossil fuel import bill declined 16% to $132.4 billion in the 2023-24 fiscal year compared to the previous year, even with a slight increase in crude oil imports. The fossil fuels still account for a significant portion of India's energy consumption. In fact, fossil fuel consumption in India rose 8% in 2023, making up 89% of the country's overall energy consumption.
Mint
08-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
India needs to integrate existing govt initiatives related to biogas sector: IBA
New Delhi, May 8 (PTI) India needs to integrate existing government initiatives related to the biogas sector, Indian Biogas Association said on Thursday. In a white paper launched by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Indian Biogas Association (IBA) advocated for the unification of existing government initiatives - Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT), GOBARDhan, and CBG (compressed biogas) blending - under a single national mission, according to a statement. The IBA released the white paper during the 4th BBB Summit organised in the national capital on Thursday, the association said in the statement. Further, the white paper suggested the need for centralised tracking, standardised performance benchmarking, and integrated funding mechanisms to drive rapid and large-scale deployment of biogas solutions in India. The key recommendations included mandating phase-wise CBG blending across sectors, formulating a green certificate ecosystem, and fast-tracking decentralised biogas Infrastructure. It also proposed the incorporation of incentivising waste segregation and feedstock supply chains, strengthening rural energy access with clean cooking fuel, bridging the skill gap through dedicated workforce programmes and empowering women through biogas micro-enterprises. The integration of biogas into public transport systems and smart building infrastructure will boost the sector, it said. Additionally, it called for promoting biogas as a primary cooking fuel in rural India by introducing targeted subsidies, encouraging the use of LPG-biogas hybrid stoves, and aligning efforts with the Ujjwala Yojana and City Gas Distribution (CGD) networks. "Approximately 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste lack proper scientific treatment and go under-utilised annually, while over 80 per cent of rural households still depend on biomass fuels," IBA Chairman Gaurav Kedia said in the statement. Meanwhile, he stated that India imports over 85 per cent of its crude oil, exposing the economy to global price volatility and straining foreign reserves. IBA organised the summit in partnership with Reveille Energy and Indus Exposium. "By harnessing the untapped power of decentralised biogas systems, India can redefine energy equity, empower rural and urban communities alike, and build a circular economy that is regenerative by design," Rohit Dev, Advisor at IBA and MD at Reveille Energy, said. "This white paper presents a pragmatic, multi-stakeholder roadmap to unlock this potential. But policies alone are not enough, and what India needs now is conviction, coordination, and collective action," Dev added.
