New Delhi, May 12 (IANS) India’s “theoretical compressed biogas production capacity is estimated at 62 million metric tonnes annually”, but current output remains below 1 per cent of that potential, leaving a massive untapped domestic energy opportunity that could attract nearly Rs 1 lakh crore of investments, a report said on Tuesday.

The report from fintech platform smallcase said agricultural residue, cattle waste, municipal solid waste and industrial byproducts are increasingly being viewed as strategic energy assets capable of reducing India’s dependence on imported hydrocarbons.

Karthick Jonagadla, smallcase manager & MD and CEO Quantace Research, said that the government’s SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) initiative and mandatory CBG blending roadmap are expected to be major catalysts.

Over 130 CBG plants have been commissioned under SATAT, while more than 1,000 projects remain in the pipeline. Mandatory blending obligations are set to rise gradually over the next few years, creating long-term demand visibility for producers and infrastructure developers.

The transition from voluntary adoption to mandatory blending is widely seen as a turning point for the sector because it creates predictable demand and improves commercial viability.

“The transition from policy encouragement to mandatory blending changes the economics of the sector meaningfully,” Jonagadla said, adding that as demand visibility improves infrastructure developers, technology providers, and institutional investors can participate with greater confidence.

India’s growing dependence on imported crude oil is emerging as one of the country’s biggest structural economic vulnerabilities, while biogas and compressed biogas (CBG) are increasingly being viewed as a viable domestic solution, the analyst said.

Despite possessing one of the world’s largest agricultural and organic waste bases, India has only begun scratching the surface of its biogas potential, the report said.

Recent policy interventions such as excise duty waivers on CBG blended with CNG and upward revisions in procurement pricing are also expected to improve project viability and accelerate private-sector participation.

The emerging opportunity extends well beyond standalone biogas producers and spans multiple segments of the energy and infrastructure ecosystem.

Oil marketing companies are expected to play a central role as both off takers and developers of CBG infrastructure.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited are increasingly investing in biogas projects and long-term supply networks. Gas utilities and city gas distribution companies are also likely to benefit as blending requirements expand and pipeline integration improves, it added.

—IANS

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