Last Updated: 26 Oct 2024

Bio-fuels industry is rapidly growing under AAP Govt

1. CBG(Biogas) or Bio-CNG ^[1]:
-- Punjab has allocated 58 CBG projects with 720 tonne per day (TPD) CBG capacity & consumption of 24-25 lakh tonne of paddy straw
-- 4 projects already running with a total capacity of 85 TPD of CBG
-- 7 more in next 1.5 years: 1 with a capacity of 20 TPD in 2024-25 & 6 with a combined capacity of 59 TPD in 2025-26

2. Bio-power: Punjab has already set up^[2]
-- 11 biomass power projects of cumulative capacity 97.50 MW
-- Likely to utilize 8.8 lakh metric tonne of paddy straw annually
-- More projects in pipeline

3. Bio-Ethonol & 4. Green Hydrogen: Plants under progress

Farmers Earning: Ludhiana(Punjab) farmer makes Rs 31 lakh from paddy straw^[3]

¶ 1. Stubble to Bio Gas (CBG) Plants

58 plants once operational will create^[1:1]
-- Direct employment for ~5,000 individuals
-- Indirect employment for ~7,500 people

¶ a. Verbio Stubble to Bio Gas (CBG) Plant in Sangrur, Punjab^[4]

Largest in Asia, Capacity to treat 300 tonnes/day & aims to handle stubble from 45000 acres of paddy crop

• 18 October 2022: Formally launched by Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann & Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri
• Generated 390 direct & 585 indirect employments

Nov 5, 2022

• 36 baler machines, 1500 farmers registered
• Acquired 19000 of total capacity 35000 tonnes of paddy by Oct'22
• Operating in 41% capacity
• Shortage of machines, lack of awareness & prompt support resulted in the shortfall of target last year
• Things will be better streamlined because of bigger scale of arrangements & due diligence done by the state govt now

¶ b. Hoshiarpur CBG project^[5]

• 20 TPD capacity project will consume 49,350 MT agriculture residue
• This project is likely to be operational by December 2023
• 40 acres of land has been earmarked for setting up the CBG plant worth 140 crores
• Employment opportunities for 200 persons directly or indirectly

¶ 2. Biomass Power Projects

21 June 2024: PSPCL 's 10 MW Biomass Plant (Dist. Fatehgarh Sahib)^[6]
-- Re-commissioned after 15 years with advanced Denmark Technology boilers
-- Will consume ~1 lakh tons of paddy straw annually
-- Direct and indirect employment to 400-500 individuals

Bhogpur Co-Operative Sugar Mill is another such project^[7]
-- Generation of 10 MW of electricity per hour by using 400 MT paddy stubble daily
-- farmers were paid Rs 180-Rs 250/quintal

New Projects^[8]

• Punjab proposed new biomass power projects of 100 MW power, which will consume 10 lakh tonnes of paddy straw per annum
• Sought financial assistance & technical support from Center for setting up new biomass solar hybrid power projects in the state
  • to encourage eco friendly renewable source of power & at the same time reduce the issue of stubble burning.
  • proposed 5 crore/MW projects from centers VGF (Viability Gap Funding) funds

¶ 3. Bio-Ethanol Plant^[9][10]

• 2 Lakh metric ton per annum paddy stubble will be consumed

The bioethanol plant, to be set up by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) at a cost of Rs 600 crore in Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda

¶ 4. Green Hydrogen^[11]

Punjab Minister Aman Arora shared Green Hydrogen Vision during 2nd edition of Monaco Hydrogen Forum at Monaco (European Country neighboring France and Italy)

Punjab is eager to set up a 5 TPD Pilot Technology Demonstration project for producing green hydrogen from paddy straw

• Punjab is promoting and facilitating Green Hydrogen projects from Biomass by providing several key incentives to industries
  • 100% Electricity duty exemption during construction
  • No Change of land use (CLU) and External Development Charges (EDC)
  • 100% Stamp duty exemption for Land Registration
  • 100% Stamp duty exemption for Land lease

References:

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1. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chandigarh/aman-arora-unveils-punjab-state-policy-biofuels-agri-waste-soil-content-9624399/ ↩︎ ↩︎

2. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/over-4k-nodal-officers-to-help-punjab-check-stubble-burning-101694199692497.html ↩︎

3. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/ludhiana-farmer-shows-the-way-makes-31-l-from-paddy-straw-556508 ↩︎

4. https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/compressed-bio-gas-plant-in-sangrur-punjab-not-working-at-full-capacity-stubble-2293830-2022-11-05 ↩︎

5. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=171645 ↩︎

6. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=186661 ↩︎

7. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jalandhar/bhogpur-co-op-sugar-mill-shows-the-way-557213 ↩︎

8. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/punjab-minister-aman-arora-meets-rk-singh-for-push-to-green-energy-production-479711 ↩︎

9. https://www.peda.gov.in/waste-to-energy-projects ↩︎

10. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/bathinda/2-years-on-work-on-rs-600-cr-ethanol-plant-yet-to-take-off-843774 ↩︎

11. https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=175264 ↩︎