UTTAR PRADESH: Three CBG plants to come up in Sant Kabir Nagar with Rs 565 crore investment

Three compressed biogas (CBG) plants have been planned in villages across Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh. Preparations are already reported to be underway to convert organic waste into renewable biogas and bio-CNG.

The projects are proposed in Parjudih village in Khalilabad, Amarha village in Mehdawal and Bagahi village in Dhanghata. Land ranging from 18 to 20 acres has been allocated to companies through the Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA).

Reliance Industries has been allotted around 18 acres at Parjudih, where an investment of approximately Rs 240 crore has been proposed. At Amarha, Indian Oil Corporation and GPS Renewables would be developing a CBG project on around 20 acres, with a proposed investment of Rs 125 crore.

Petronet LNG Ltd has also been allocated land at Bagahi for a proposed investment of around Rs 200 crore. However, the final status of the project remains uncertain as two other companies have reportedly submitted proposals for the same location.

Work on the projects is progressing at different stages. A Reliance Industries team has visited the district and held discussions with officials regarding the proposed plant. The IOC-GPS Renewables team has also inspected the Amarha site, where construction of an approach road has begun.

The proposed facilities will process cow dung, agricultural residues such as paddy straw, food waste and other organic waste to produce biogas, which can be purified and compressed into CBG or bio-CNG.

The renewable gas can be used as a cleaner fuel for vehicles, cooking and power generation, while the projects are also expected to support waste management and create value from locally available biomass.

Uttar Pradesh currently leads India in CBG development. Today the northern state has 37 operational CBG plants and has a goal to generate 1,000 tonnes per day (TPD) of CBG by 2026–27 under the UP Bio-Energy Policy 2022.