Introduction

In June last year, the ministry set the target of installing more than 15,000 biogas plants in the 2nd phase of the 2024 year program. The goal was to produce clean fuel for cooking, lighting, and low power with lower carbon dioxide emissions. In late 2022, the MNRE also announced its $104 million program to reduce bed burning using excess agriculture residues, consisting of biomass, waste-to-energy, and biogas programs. This program is valid until 2026.

Now Recently the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has issued tenders to promote innovation in the development of small-scale biogas plants across India. The initiatives target projects capable of producing 1-25 cubic meters of biogas per day, emphasizing efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability to India’s climate conditions.

Organisations, universities, research institutes, and industrial companies involved in small-scale gas production or development. Biogas plants are advised to submit proposals in the prescribed form. MNRE is particularly interested in proposals that present innovative designs or significant improvements to existing models that can facilitate the use of biogas at the household, community, or village level.

Alternative construction materials such as HDPE, PVC, LLDPE, or cheap polyethylene should be used in the construction of the proposed biogas plants in addition to other environmentally friendly and sustainable materials. Their schemes should be able to process various organic wastes for anaerobic digestion, including cattle dung, kitchen waste, and sanitary waste at decentralized locations.

The MNRE will analyze, evaluate, and approve the proposals once they are submitted and laboratory and field evaluations. Promising technologies and projects will be added to the list of approved biogas plant projects, making them eligible for the benefits of the MNRE biogas.

These proposals must be submitted in the prescribed format available on the website and submitted no later than April 2, 2024.  Therefore relevant recommendations are proposed for the continued growth of renewable energy/ clean policy measures and investment–friendly management can be key factors in the development of India as a global leader.