Focus on setting up biogas, bio-methanation plants to substitute LPG: EnvMin official to industries

Asserting that with the rise in demand, it is imperative that new and alternate mode of energy is put to use, a top environment ministry official Thursday said industries should focus on setting up biogas and bio-methanation plants to substitute LPG. Speaking at a conference, additional secretary of the environment ministry, A K Jain said biogas plants and biomethanation plants should be set especially in the cities.

The conference - Waste to Energy and Resource Conservation (WERC) was jointly organized by FICCI along with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. "The ground has been set and it is now for industry and entrepreneurs to take this up in a big way," Jain said adding that industries should explore the possibility of shifting from coal-based electricity to waste-to-energy technologies.

He further said that in the last decade, the demand for energy has increased drastically and it is imperative that new and alternate mode of energy should be used. "Almost 25 percent of total energy consumed in the country comes from bio-mass," he said. Vinod Kumar Jindal, Joint Secretary (SBM), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, also stressed upon the importance of public partnerships with regard to waste management process. "We have to achieve 100 percent ODF (Open Defecation Free), public participation and create waste to wealth," he said.

Jindal also highlighted the need for clarity on the waste segregation policy. "The need of the hour is to make waste segregation compulsory," he said. At the conference, Alok Tripathi, Executive Director, Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said that waste-to-energy and resources conservation can significantly reduce the export dependency of oil and natural gas for the country. Rene Van Berkel, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Representative to India, said, "Waste is best defined as a resource at the wrong time, location or form, waiting to be utilized," adding that energy and materials recovery has an important role to play in circular economy.

(With inputs from agencies.)