New Delhi, Aug 7 (IANS) The recently announced Central scheme GOBARdhan will reduce import dependence saving over Rs 40,000 crore in foreign exchange and industry would add more than Rs 75,000 crore to national GDP, an official statement said on Friday.
The scheme is expected to expand compressed biogas production nearly ten‑fold over a decade, mobilise private investment, create a circular bioeconomy and establish a dedicated CBG Offtake Assurance framework to guarantee market access for producers.
Clean, home-grown gas from the scheme will displace 10 million metric tonnes of fossil fuel use.
Diverting waste from landfills will cut more than 40 MT of CO₂ emissions and produce 250 MMT of organic fertilizer, the statement said.
GOBARdhan guarantees CBG offtake for providing a predictable market, sets administered price at Rs 2,110/MMBTU, offers capital aid up to Rs 2 crore/TPD and provides 85 per cent credit guarantees for MSMEs.
India’s demand for natural gas is expanding across transport, households, industry and commercial sectors. CBG can meet a growing share of this demand through domestic renewable production.
CBG is chemically equivalent to natural gas and can be seamlessly integrated into the existing gas ecosystem, combining the benefits of a renewable fuel with the reach and utility of India’s expanding gas infrastructure.
Each CBG plant also creates a local circular economy around agricultural residue, cattle dung and other organic resources, generating opportunities in feedstock supply, transportation, plant operations and organic manure production, while supporting cleaner waste management and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Anyone operating or intending to set up a CBG/Bio-CNG plant in India can obtain a registration number through the GOBARdhan Unified Registration Portal. The registration number is required to avail benefits and support from MoPNG.
According to the GOBARdhan Unified Registration Portal, a total of 1,908 Compressed Biogas (CBG)/Bio-CNG plants have been registered across the country. Of these, 217 plants have already been commissioned producing 0.4 million standard cubic meters per day (MMSCMD), while 339 plants are under construction.
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday approved ‘GOBARdhan’ the National Circular Bioenergy Scheme with a total outlay of Rs 23,731 crore.
The scheme will be implemented from FY27 to FY36 and will establish compressed biogas as a major pillar of India’s future energy mix.
Procurement by City Gas Distribution entities will support achievement of the notified CBG Obligation trajectory of 3 per cent in FY27, 4 per cent in FY28, and 5 per cent from FY29 onwards in the CNG (Transport) and PNG (Domestic) segments.
—IANS
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