Moneycontrol | Govt aims to increase gas share in energy mix to 15% by 2030: Hardeep Puri

Apr 17,2023

The government has set a target to increase the share of natural gas in the country's energy mix to up to 15 percent by the year 2030, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said on April 17, while addressing an event in New Delhi.

According to Puri, energy security will remain vulnerable until alternative fuels are not developed indigenously, based on renewable feedstock.

Puri said the indigenous production of compressed biogas would have multiple benefits, such as reduction of natural gas imports, reduction of greenhouse gas emission, reduction in burning of agriculture residues, providing remunerative income to farmers and effective waste management, among others.

“The Government of India has set a target to increase the share of gas in the energy mix up to 15 percent by 2030 to make India a gas-based economy. Presently we are importing around 50 percent of our requirement of natural gas. Speedy expansion of compressed biogas will help in meeting our additional requirement from domestic resources," Puri said.

The minister was addressing the Global Conference on Compressed Biogas, which was organised by the Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE).

Puri credited the policies of the Narendra Modi-led central government, including the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme and the use of agro-waste to generate compressed biogas, to have enabled the adoption of green renewable energy in the last 10 years.

“Under SATAT initiative various waste streams such as animal dung, agricultural residues, MSW (Municipal Solid Waste), sewage water and industrial wastes such as press mud, spent wash from sugar industry, food processing industry etc. is being looked into as feedstock for production of biogas," he said.

The minister also shared India’s ambitious target to set up 5,000 commercial plants by 2024-25 and produce 15 MMT of compressed biogas which would replace other gaseous fuels being used in the country. He mentioned that India had commissioned 46 compressed biogas plants under SATAT Scheme and there were 100 outlets currently dispensing the compressed biogas across the country.