By Kaushal Verma
New Delhi [India] October 15 : Biomass utilisation in the power sector is expected to nearly triple this financial year to 2.5 million tonnes, following government efforts to reduce stubble burning and cut carbon emissions, says Anil Baweja, Mission Director of Samarth, Ministry of Power.
SAMARTH Biomass mission is part of central government vision to convert biomass to power in an eco-friendly and cost effective manner through policy and market support.
"This year, we earlier expected our projections around 17.5 lakh metric tonnes, but we now expect it to cross 2.5 million metric tonnes," Baweja toldin an exclusive interview on Tuesday. So far this year, 1.3 million metric tonnes have already been utilised.
India produces an estimated 230 million tonnes of surplus agricultural residue annually. Despite this, only around 3.2 million tonnes are currently being used for energy generation, Baweja said.
He said that if the country were to utilise 100 million metric tonnes for biofuel production, the market opportunity could be as large as Rs 65,000 crore.
To improve the efficiency of biomass in energy production, the government is promoting the use of Torre faction technology.
"Torre faction is a special technology where the biomass is heated in the absence of oxygen so that volatile matter gets released. It becomes just like charcoal. It gives better performance in coldness," he said.
Torrefied biomass pellets are more energy-dense and durable, and are currently selling in the market at Rs 28,000 to Rs 35,000 per tonne.
Efforts are also underway to incentivise farmers to stop burning crop residue and instead supply it to pellet manufacturers.
The Ministry of Agriculture has established Custom Hiring Centres that provide baling machines to collect and bundle agricultural waste for sale.
"There are certain aggregators. The Agriculture Ministry has developed Custom Hiring Centres where they provide the baling machine so that the agri-residue is cleaned from the field, bailed, and sold to pellet plants," Baweja added.
In several states, stricter enforcement has also led to FIRs being filed against those continuing to burn stubble.
"If these farmers are getting an alternative viable medium, they will definitely go for pellet manufacturing," he added.
While some biomass power plants are already operating at full capacity using 100 per cent biomass, particularly in Punjab, Baweja suggested co-firing in existing coal-based plants as the more cost-effective route in the short term.
"My gut feeling is that co-firing is better than 100% burning of biomass because you will require new investment to set up that plant. Here, the plant is already there," he said.
The push toward biomass is part of the broader Bioenergy Policy 2022, which aims to tap into India's vast agricultural base to meet energy needs sustainably. Compressed Biogas (CBG) is another area showing strong growth, with the country already achieving a production capacity of 1,000 tonnes per day.
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