Compressed bio gas is need of the hour: Puri

Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) is the need of the hour and the government is taking all steps to ensure the ecosystem around it, said Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday. 

Addressing the inaugural event of Asia’s largest CBG plant in Lehragaga, Punjab, the minister said that the plant in Sangrur is the beginning of India’s master plan for a CBG-based rural economy. 

“The plant was commissioned with an FDI investment of Rs. 220 crores by Verbio AG, one of Germany’s leading Bio-energy companies. It is a step in achieving objectives of the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme to establish an ecosystem for production of CBG from various waste/biomass sources in the country. Apart from this plant, 38 CBG / Biogas Plants have been commissioned under the SATAT initiative,” the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said in a press release. 

Puri said that the plant is inaugurated a day after announcement of pivotal schemes and benefits for the farming community by Prime Minister Modi. “Yesterday, PM released the 12th instalment of the PM-KISAN direct benefit transfer scheme. Rs. 16,000 crores were instantly transferred into farmer-beneficiaries accounts. More than 12 lakh farmer beneficiaries have been covered under the PM-KISAN scheme. He also inaugurated 600 Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samruddhi Kendras (PMKSK), which will not only be sales centres for fertilizer but a mechanism for establishing a deep bond with the farmers of the country. He had also launched the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Jan Urvarak Pariyojana - One Nation One Fertiliser, a scheme for ensuring affordable quality fertiliser under the ‘Bharat brand to the farmers.” 

The minister added that the initiatives such as CBG plants are a huge leap forward in arriving at a win-win situation for farmers and the environment. “The plant at Sangrur will consume 100,000 tons of paddy straw, which will be procured from 6-8 satellite locations within a 10 km radius of the plant. There will be daily production of about 600-650 Tons of FOM (Fermented Organic Manure), which can be used for organic farming. The CBG Plant will also provide direct employment to 390 and indirect employment to 585 people.” 

He further said that the plant will generate additional income for Sangrur’s farmers. “It will also provide a much-needed alternative to stubble burning. The plant will reduce stubble burning of 40,000 – 45,000 acres of fields, translating into an annual reduction of 150,000 tons of CO2 emissions. It will not only ensure that the citizens of Sangrur, Punjab, breathe in cleaner air but also contribute towards India’s COP26 Climate Change targets of total projected carbon emissions by one billion tons from now to 2030, achieving the target of net zero emissions by 2070.”

The CBG Plant at Sangrur, is spread across an area of 20 acres (approx.). The plant’s present production is about 6 TPD CBG. It will soon process 300 Tons Per Day of paddy straw at max. capacity to produce 33 TPD of CBG using 8 digesters of 10,000 cubic meters.