New Delhi: Speaking about Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited's (HPCL) Compressed Biogas (CBG) Plant inaugurated in Badaun on Saturday, Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, said that this plant has a processing capacity of 100 MTPD of rice straw and can generate 14 MTPD of CBG, along with 65 MTPD of solid manure. The CBG plant at Badaun is commissioned with an investment of Rs 133 crore (approximately) by HPCL and is spread across an area of 50 acres (approximately), said a statement issued by the Petroleum Ministry.
On Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated HPCL's pioneering biomass-based Compressed Biogas (CBG) Plant in Budaun in the presence of Puri, Rameswar Teli, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Kashyap, MP, Aonla, Rajeev Kumar Singh, MLA, Dataganj, Mahesh Chandra Gupta, MLA, Budaun Sadar and senior officials from MoPNG and UP government, along with HPCL CMD Pushp Kumar Joshi and senior officials from HPCL.
The project includes raw materials receipt and storage, CBG process section, associated utilities, CBG cascade filling shed, and solid manure storage and bagging facility. The technology for CBG production has been licensed from M/s Praj Industries Limited, Pune, and the digester’s design maximizes biogas yield. The plant incorporates a pollution-sensitive Zero Liquid Discharge design, adhering to stringent norms of the Fertilizer Control Order.
The project aims to boost farmers’ income by procuring biomass from local farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), providing livelihood opportunities to more than 100 people. The plant will also provide direct livelihood opportunities and indirect benefits to thousands of farmers, transporters and farm labourers. Additionally, it will also produce organic manure which will be sold to farmers to enhance soil quality and crop yields, contributing to sustainable agriculture.
"The inauguration of this CBG plant aligns with the Government of India’s emphasis on reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. As part of the National Biofuel Policy 2018, this initiative contributes to the government’s goal of reducing import dependency by 10 percent, with a focus on second-generation (2G) bio-refineries and Compressed Bio-Gas Plants," said the Petroleum Ministry.
Puri said that upon the stabilisation of production, the CBG plant at Badaun will help in reducing stubble burning of 17,500-20,000 acres of fields translating into an annual reduction of 55,000 tons of CO2 emissions and lead to direct employment generation of around 100 people and indirect employment generation of around 1,000 people.
In the coming time, more than 100 such bio gas plants will be set up in UP, the Union Petroleum Minister added. The minister lauded the performance of Uttar Pradesh in various schemes of the government, including Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), Smart Cities Mission, PM SVANidhi scheme etc.
The minister provided a snapshot of the progress of the oil and gas sector in Uttar Pradesh in the past 9.5 years. He highlighted the remarkable progress witnessed by the state in terms of the number of petrol pumps, LPG distributors, PNG Connections, CNG Stations, LPG Connections etc.