Uttar Pradesh is bullish on the bioenergy segment and its potential to meet the future energy requirements in the state.
Upping the ante on green energy, the UP government has approved about 12 private sector bioenergy projects totalling Rs 55 crore.
These projects in the compressed biogas (CBG) and biodiesel sectors comprise output of about 90 tonnes of CBG and 44 kilolitre (KL) of biodiesel per day.
The bioenergy projects were recently approved by a committee headed by UP additional chief secretary Mahesh Gupta.
At the UP Global Investors’ Summit (GIS) 2023, UP had netted investment proposals of about Rs 7 trillion in the renewable energy domain including bioenergy.
Bioenergy is expected to not only mitigate environmental pollution caused by the burning of stubble (crop residue), but offer a long term revenue source to farmers.
Under the UP State Bioenergy Policy 2022, UP is targetting per day production of 1,000 tonnes of CBG; 4,000 tonnes of bio-coal (pellets); and 2,000 KL of biodiesel.
The policy is aimed at promoting bioenergy based on farm waste as well as to counter the loss of soil fertility due to stubble burning.
Meanwhile, UP New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA) has identified 60 bioenergy projects as commercially viable.
Biomass has always been a vital energy source in India. It is renewable, widely available, carbon-neutral and has the potential to provide sizeable employment in rural areas.
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According to UPNEDA,32 percent of the total primary energy use in India is still derived from biomass and more than 70 percent of the country’s population depends upon it for energy needs.