Adoption of Biogas Can Save India $29 Billion Import of Fossil Fuel
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) report highlights the benefits of expanding biogas projects. This includes better waste management, reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and increased renewable energy production. Biogas can be a cleaner and more eco-friendly alternative that offers promising solutions for India’s energy needs.
Purva Jain, an energy analyst at IEEFA said, “Biogas has the potential to replace natural gas and other high-emission fossil fuels“.
India can reduce its dependence on imported natural gas by adopting sustainable production methods and actively addressing methane leaks during the production, upgrading, and supply processes. Just by replacing 20 percent of natural gas consumption with biogas/biomethane by 2030, India can save about $29 billion on liquid natural gas (LNG) imports from 2025-2030.
“By adopting appropriate production methods and addressing methane leaks during production, upgrading, and supply stages, biogas can offer India a cleaner alternative to its reliance on imported natural gas,” said Purva Jain.
The Indian government needs to take additional measures to harness the potential of biogas in the country. Although the benefits of biogas are evident its growth in the Indian market has been hindered by various factors. These include the lack of a comprehensive market infrastructure, complicated approval procedures, pricing obstacles, and inadequate government support.
“Moreover, the introduction of the GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan) scheme as an umbrella initiative of the government will help in this consolidation. It covers the entire gamut of schemes/policies promoting organic waste conversion to biogas or compressed biogas (CBG),” Jain said.
However, the government has taken steps to address these challenges, and in 2021, it consolidated various forms of assistance under the National Bioenergy Scheme, thereby providing a more coherent framework for the sector’s development. Private companies such as Reliance Industries Limited and the Adani Group are showing substantial interest in compressed biogas due to recent measures.
Including promotion for more investment and private sector participation, improving the market viability of Compressed Biogas (CBG) and biogas slurry, providing better funding opportunities for developing biogas plants, and managing feedstock for better input availability. It is crucial to avoid using energy crops for biogas production to prevent indirect land use and harm the environment by increasing carbon emissions.
Therefore, initiating appropriate schemes and investments to develop biogas projects and integrate it as green energy can substitute fossil fuel and cut a major part of the fuel imports will not only reduce the dependency but also develop the economy. It will also contribute to the net zero mission to decarbonize and transform into a greener earth. Collaborating with startups, and diversifying the energy sector can achieve the Government’s mission of “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.
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