The Print | Two-day global conference on compressed biogas to start on Monday

Apr 15,2023

A two-day global conference on compressed biogas will start at India Habitat in New Delhi on Monday.

With a theme of ‘Towards Progressive Policy Framework for a Robust CBG Foundation and Growth,’ the conference will be organised by IFGE-CBG Producers Forum and supported by the Ministry of petroleum and natural gas.

According to a statement from the ministry, the event is organised with the objective to apprise the industry regarding the initiatives taken by the government for the development of the compressed biogas industry and to identify the areas where policy modifications are required.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, as the chief guest of the event, will inaugurate the conference while Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will be the chief guest for the dinner session. Pankaj Jain, secretary, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas will also be present in the occasion as the guest of honour.

India is dedicated to achieve net zero target by 2070. There are several initiatives taken by current leadership and government by various means to reduce emissions, according to the ministry. Compressed Biogas (CBG) has also an important role in emission reduction and it is being promoted by SATAT Scheme (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation).

According to the statement, CBG has higher calorific value and properties similar to CNG and can be utilised as an alternative green renewable and can replace CNG in automotive, industrial and commercial areas, given the abundance of biomass availability within the country.

The discussion will focus on the feedstock availability, CBG offtake, fermented organic manure, carbon credits, incentives, investment and financing for the CBG industry and biofuel policies of different states and CBG producers on state policies and international experiences.

According to the statement, the conference is also providing the facility to exhibit and will seek the participation of more than 200 delegates which includes CBG plant developers, letter of intent (LoI) holders of CBG plant, contractors, prospective investors, consultants, policymakers, representatives from the central and state government and oil firms like IOCL, HPCL, GAIL.

Indian Federation of Green Energy (IFGE) is an umbrella organisation which represents the interests of the national renewable energy sector in its totality including bio-energy, solar, wind, mini hydel, tidal, geo-thermal etc. IFGE: CBG Producer Forum is a dedicated forum for CBG producers which aims the training and awareness programmes for LoI holders, stakeholders, and prospective investors, including policy advocacy for industry members.