The Indian and World Biogas Associations joint webinar on Biogas and BioCNG Opportunities in India strengthens partnerships to deliver climate targets

On 7th October 2021, the Indian Biogas Association (IBA) and the World Biogas Association (WBA) hosted a joint webinar on “Biogas/Bio-CNG: Opportunities in India” to provide insight into the growing biogas and bioCNG market in India.

Mr. Gaurav Kedia, Chairman, IBA, explained: “Interest in Biogas/Bio-CNG continues to grow globally, and the virtual event was organised to showcase the highly potent Indian biogas market to foreign investors focussing on this sector. With the economic outlook looking brighter amidst post-pandemic market corrections, the Indian biogas industry anticipates to unlock a plethora of FDI opportunities. This online event was a precursor to that.”

Shri. Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Minister of Road Transport and Highways  (pictured) lent his gracious presence to open the webinar. In his keynote address, he emphasised “India’s pursuit to be self-dependent through the ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ (Self-reliant India programme)(1). The biogas/CBG industry, with the tremendous potential it has, shall play a critical role to bridge the present trade-deficit scenario of India. The bridging shall happen in terms of reducing the overall import of crude oil and fertilizer, mitigating the climate change effects of greenhouse gases (GHG), creation of huge employment opportunities across the industry value chain, and so on.” He then added, “ GoI (Government of India), encompassing several Ministries, have been supporting this industry. However, the need of the hour is to integrate all the incentives and resources, relevant to this industry, and the onus for same remains with industry stakeholders.”

The webinar enabled industry stakeholders, especially global participants, to better understand the existing Indian ecosystem for biogas/bio-CNG. The two and half -hour webinar offered a perfect blend of national and international speakers, featuring Dr. A.R Shukla-President IBA, Ms. Charlotte Morton -Chief Executive, WBA, Mr. Abhijit Rajguru – General Manager, Clarke Energy, and Mr. Jeremy Moorhouse – Bioenergy Analyst, International Energy Agency (IEA).

The webinar was well-received by participants, as alongside presenting opportunities, it addressed the various challenges faced by the biogas/bio-CNG stakeholders, such as financial closures of projects, difficulty in loan availability, getting the requisite permits and clearances, and the adequacy of government subsidy. These bottlenecks were identified as a higher priority in a recent online survey, conducted by IBA amongst its members from the bio-CNG industry.

Dr. A.R Shukla, President of IBA , commented: “The discussion on the list of prioritized bottlenecks during the webinar shall go a long way in unlocking the true potential of the industry by allaying the deep-rooted and ever-existent concerns amongst the industry stakeholders, especially the foreign investors.”

Charlotte Morton, Chief Executive of WBA, said: “The Indian biogas market represents a huge opportunity for international investors to support sustainable development in India and ensure economic growth in the country, whilst at the same time addressing climate change issues and helping India achieve its Paris Agreement targets. We were delighted to partner IBA in hosting this webinar, which we hope will facilitate fruitful relationships for the deployment of biogas and bioCNG technology in India.”

(1 ) The Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan or Self-reliant India campaign is the vision of new India envisaged by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. On 12 May 2020, the Indian PM raised a clarion call to the nation giving a kick start to the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan (Self-reliant India campaign) and announced the Special economic and comprehensive package of INR 20 lakh crores – equivalent to 10% of India’s.

The aim is to make the country and its citizens independent and self-reliant in all senses. He further outlined five pillars of Aatma Nirbhar Bharat – Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography and Demand. Finance Minister further announces Government Reforms and Enablers across Seven Sectors under Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. The government took several bold reforms such as Supply Chain Reforms for Agriculture, Rational Tax Systems, Simple & Clear Laws, Capable Human Resource and Strong Financial System.

– ENDS –

For further information, contact:

For IBA:
Vishal Kanchan
Email: vishal@biogas-india.com
Contact: +91 – 7838 447 489

For WBA:
Jocelyne Bia
email: jbia@worldbiogasassociation.org.; tel: +44 (0)20 3176 0592

Notes to Editors:

About IBA
The Indian Biogas Association (IBA) is the first nationwide and professional biogas association for operators, manufacturers and planners of biogas plants, and representatives from public policy, science and research in India.  The association was established in 2011 and revamped in 2015 to promote a greener future through biogas. The motto of the association is “propagating biogas in a sustainable way”. The association is working with the German Biogas Association to foster the development of the Biogas sector in India. For more information, please visit www.biogas-india.com

About WBA
Launched at COP22 in Marrakesh in 2016, the World Biogas Association (WBA) is the global trade association for the biogas, landfill gas and anaerobic digestion (AD) sectors, and is dedicated to facilitating the adoption of biogas globally. It believes that the global adoption of biogas technologies is a multi-faceted opportunity to produce clean, renewable energy while resolving global issues related to development, public health and economic growth. www.worldbiogasassociation.org @wbatweet

Watch the video recording of the webinar