German biofuel producer Verbio has started up a 33 t/d biomethane plant in Lehragaga in the Punjab region in India.
The plant will process around 100,000 t/yr of straw into biomethane, which will be sold as bio-CNG to the regional petrol station network operated by India Oil Corporation.
The plant is the first of its kind in India and Asia, according to Verbio, and has been built as part of India's Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme, which was launched in 2018 to encourage the production of biomethane from biomass and waste sources like agricultural residue, cattle dung or sugarcane.
The growth potential of the biomethane market in India is large and feedstock availability is vast. Verbio estimates the country has around 300mn t/yr of unused straw which would be available as feedstock.
But the market has some challenges. "In India we are entering a growth market for renewable energies with huge potential. We would like to build more plants and support the government programme SATAT if a solid business case allows it. The Indian government has a very strong influence on the energy market as a whole. That is why we are in ongoing talks with the government to design the regulatory framework for the targeted expansion of advanced biofuels and to define a basis for long-term growth," Verbio chief executive Claus Sauter said.
