Maruti Suzuki to build 11 more CBG plants in India

Suzuki Motor Corporation is expanding its cow dung-based CBG operations in India, while its subsidiary Maruti Suzuki India is developing additional facilities using agricultural waste, with 11 new plants currently in the pipeline.

The Japanese automaker currently operates three cow dung-based biogas plants in India partnering dairy industry and is working on seven more. Separately, Maruti Suzuki India is developing four biogas plants that will use agricultural waste as feedstock.

Speaking at the 66th Annual Convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi highlighted India’s significant potential to produce biogas from cattle dung, biomass and agricultural residues.

The sector is also gaining momentum through India-Japan cooperation. The prime ministers of the two countries recently agreed to scale up biogas production in India by establishing 1,000 plants.

The Maruti Suzuki CEO said that Compressed Biogas (CBG) has strong potential in India, citing its ability to reduce carbon emissions, curb stubble burning and improve air quality. Increased CBG production could also reduce India’s dependence on imported fossil fuels while creating additional income and employment opportunities in rural areas.

He said CBG could become an important enabler of India’s CNG ecosystem by addressing multiple national priorities and offering significant scope for large-scale deployment. This, he added, could help sustain CNG as a preferred clean mobility solution for decades.

Takeuchi also reiterated Maruti Suzuki’s multi-technology approach to sustainable mobility, covering electric vehicles, hybrids, CNG, biofuels such as CBG and ethanol, and hydrogen. The company aims to promote technologies that can reduce emissions while keeping mobility affordable and strengthening India’s energy security.

Last month, Maruti Suzuki India revealed its plans to invest Rs 561 crore to establish four biogas plants as the company steps up efforts to shift its production operations towards cleaner and renewable energy sources. Similarly, it has clubbed with NDDB for the development of biogas projects based on cow-dung and other feedstocks.