As WBA prepares for this year’s India Congress, which will take place on 8-9 October in New Delhi, it’s a good time to reflect on the key takeaways from the 2025 event….
WBA India Congress 2025 charts a clear pathway for scaling up biogas in India
The World Biogas Association (WBA) India Congress 2025, held on 3–4 December at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, marked an important milestone in India’s efforts to scale up biogas and renewable gases as part of its clean energy and circular economy transition. The Congress brought together more than 250 delegates and 70 speakers, including senior policymakers, industry leaders, project developers, financiers, and international experts, reflecting growing national and global interest in India’s biogas potential.
Discussions focused on the policy, technical and implementation challenges shaping the sector, as well as on aligning India’s ambitions with international best practices. There was broad consensus that bioenergy – particularly biogas produced through anaerobic digestion – is emerging as a critical component of India’s renewable energy portfolio, with applications spanning energy security, waste management, emissions reduction and rural development.
Call for a National Mission on Biogas
The most significant outcome of the Congress was agreement on the need for a National Mission on Biogas. Participants highlighted that biogas cuts across multiple government portfolios, including new and renewable energy, petroleum and natural gas, agriculture, sanitation, fertilisers, drinking water, urban development, housing and fisheries. In the absence of a coordinated framework, progress risks remaining fragmented.
A National Mission would provide long-term policy certainty, enable inter-ministerial coordination, and help translate national targets into actionable programmes. Such an approach is viewed as essential to attract investment, accelerate project deployment and ensure that biogas contributes meaningfully to India’s climate and development goals.
Strong policy momentum and feedstock advantage
The Congress also underscored strong government momentum behind compressed biogas (CBG) and renewable gas deployment. India currently has nearly 900 commercial biogas plants and over 5 million small-scale units, with more than 1,000 additional plants under development. Policy mechanisms such as the SATAT initiative and CBG blending obligations were recognised as key drivers supporting market growth.
India’s vast availability of agricultural residues, livestock manure, municipal solid waste, and industrial organic waste was repeatedly cited as a strategic advantage. If effectively harnessed, these feedstocks position India to become a global leader in biogas production while simultaneously addressing waste management and environmental challenges.