Schemes of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Biodiesel

To encourage the production of Biodiesel in the country, the Ministry of Petrol & Natural Gas (MOP&NG) announced a Biodiesel Purchase Policy, in October 2005, which became effective from January 1, 2006. Under this policy Oil Marketing Companies (OMCS) can purchase Biodiesel (B 100), meeting the fuel quality standard prescribed by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for blending with High Speed Diesel (HSD) to the extent of 5 per cent at identified purchase centres across the country.

Biogas

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has realised the potential and role of biomass energy in the Indian context and hence has initiated a number of programmes for promotion of efficient technologies for its use in various sectors of the economy to ensure derivation of maximum benefits.

The ministry promotes the installation of biogas plants by implementing two Central Sector Schemes under Off-grid/distributed and decentralised Renewable Power. The two ongoing schemes are:

• Biogas Power Generation and Thermal Energy Application Programme (BPGTP)

The programme promotes biogas based Decentralized Renewable Energy Sources of power generation (Off-grid), in the capacity range of 3 kw to 250 kw or thermal energy for heating/ cooling applications from the biogas generation produced from Biogas plants of 30 M3 to 2500 M3 size.

• New National Biogas and Organic Manure Programme (NNBOMP)

The objective is to provide clean cooking fuel for kitchens, lighting and meeting other thermal and small power needs of farmers/dairy farmers/users including individual households and to improve organic manure system based on bio-slurry from biogas plants in rural and semi-urban areas by setting up of small size biogas plants of 1 to 25 Cubic Metre capacity.

• Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT)

The government is promoting the use of Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) also known as BIOCNG. In a significant push that has the potential to boost the availability of more affordable transport fuels, better use of agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste as well as to provide an additional revenue source to farmers, the MOP&NG has brought up an innovative initiative titled SATAT i.e., Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation initiative on October 1, 2018. Under this initiative, Oil PSUS IOCL, HPCL, BPCL, GAIL and IGL have invited Expression of interest (Eol) from potential entrepreneurs to procure CBG.