Asia's largest Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in Lehragaga, Sangrur was inaugurated by Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs Hardeep S. Puri.

This plant in Sangrur is just the beginning of India's master plan for a CBG-based rural economy as CBG is the need of the hour and the Government is taking all steps to promote the ecosystem around it, said Hardeep S. Puri.

The Plant has been commissioned with an FDI investment of approximately Rs. 220 crore by Verbio AG, one of Germany's leading Bio-energy companies. Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister, Punjab and senior management from Verbio India Private Limited were also present at the event.

The Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant in Sangrur is a step in achieving objectives of the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) scheme, which was launched by Government of India in October 2018 to establish an ecosystem for production of Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) from various waste/biomass sources in the country.

The scheme aims to empower and unleash the rural economy by supporting farmers, increase India's domestic energy production and self-sufficiency and also reduce the air pollution, and help India lead the world toward a clean energy transition. Apart from this plant, 38 CBG/Biogas Plants have been commissioned under the SATAT initiative.

The CBG Plant at Sangrur, is spread across an area of approximately 20 acres. The plant's present production is about 6 TPD CBG but soon this plant will process 300 Tons Per Day of paddy straw at maximum capacity to produce 33 TPD of CBG using 8 digesters of 10,000 cubic meters.

The Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas said that the initiatives such as these CBG plants are a huge leap forward in arriving at a win-win situation for farmers and the environment.

Talking about the benefits of the Sangrur CBG plant for rural economy, the Minister observed that this plant will consume 100,000 tons of paddy straw, which will be procured from 6-8 satellite locations within a 10 km radius of the plant. There shall be daily production of about 600-650 Tons of FOM (Fermented Organic Manure), which can be used for organic farming. The CBG Plant shall also provide direct employment to 390 and indirect employment to 585 people.

He said that this Plant will reduce stubble burning of 40,000 – 45,000 acres of fields, translating into an annual reduction of 150,000 tons of CO2 emissions, which will not only ensure that the citizens of Sangrur, Punjab, breathe in cleaner air but also contribute towards India's COP26 Climate Change targets of total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030.