Mann govt revolutionalised clean and green energy sector in 2022
Chandigarh: In a bid to ensure the optimum utilisation of natural resources to save the environment of the state, Chief Minister S Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government has left no stone unturned to revolutionise the clean and green energy sector in the year 2022.
Beginning the state's master plan for a CBG-based rural economy, Asia's largest Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plant was inaugurated in October 2022 by Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann at Bhuttal Kalan village in Sangrur.
The plant has been commissioned with a foreign direct investment of approximately Rs 220 crore by Germany's leading bio-energy company Verbio AG. With a total capacity of 33.23 ton CBG per day, the plant is spread across an area of 20 acres and will consume 100,000 tonnes of paddy straw. There shall be daily production of around 600-650 tons of Fermented Organic Manure (FOM), which can be used for organic farming. The State government has also constituted a task force to discuss and create an enabling mechanism for off-taking of FOM generated from Compressed Biogas (CBG) projects based on agro-residue in the State.
Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has also allocated 42 additional CBG projects of total capacity 492.58 tons per day (TPD) based on paddy straw and other agro-residue to develop a lasting and sustainable solution to prevent stubble burning while also strengthening the rural economy. These projects are expected to fetch private investment of around Rs 1200 crore, besides generating employment opportunities for over 8,000 skilled/unskilled persons.
The Punjab government has also decided to solarise one lakh existing electric agriculture tube wells. This ambitious project will save around Rs 200 crore per annum on account of power subsidy, besides going a long way to save natural resources.
PEDA has already invited e-bids for the selection of Solar Power Generators for feeder level solarisation of 25,000 grid-connected agriculture pumps. Notably, the government of Punjab provides free power to 13.88 lakh farmers of the state for their grid connected tubewells for irrigation and bears the expenditure of approximately Rs 7,000 crore as subsidy being paid to PSPCL.
