Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG):

Government of India has published National Policy on Bio Fuels -2018 with effect from 16th May 2018. The Policy aims to increase the usage of biofuels in the energy and transportation sectors of the country during the coming decade.

The Policy aims to derive the following benefits

• Reduction in Crude and LNG imports thereby huge savings in forex
• Utilization, development and promotion of domestic feedstock and its utilization for production of biofuels thereby increasingly substitute fossil fuels while contributing to National Energy Security
• Climate Change mitigation and control in pollution,
• Creation of new employment opportunities in a sustainable way
• Encouragement in the application of advanced technologies for the generation of biofuels

Industry/HPCL has undertaken various biofuel projects in the country including Compressed Biogas (CBG) Projects under SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) initiative of Govt. of India which envisages target production of 15 Million Metric Ton (MMT) of CBG by 2023-24, from 5000 CBG Plants.

Waste/Bio-mass sources like agricultural residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste, etc. produce Bio-Gas through the process of anaerobic decomposition. The Bio-Gas is purified to remove hydrogen sulphide (H2S), carbon dioxide (CO2), water vapour and compressed as Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG), which has methane (CH4) content of more than 90%. CBG has calorific value and other properties similar to CNG and hence can be utilized as green renewable automotive fuel. Thus it can replace CNG in automotive, industrial and commercial areas, given the abundance of biomass availability within the country.

Under the above scheme Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) started releasing NIEOI (Notice Inviting Expression of Interest) w.e.f. 01.10.2018 to invite EOIs (Expression of Interest) from eligible entrepreneurs for setting up CBG plants, produce and supply CBG to OMCs. Now NIEOIs are being released on monthly basis to expedite the evaluation of EOIs received. NIEOIs shall be available for submitting EOIs till 30.06.2021 and further if required. For details of complete EOI, interested entrepreneurs/ parties may refer to HPCL website (www.hindustanpetroleum.com) under Tenders and contracts (click public tenders and search for EOI or CBG) or Central Public Procurement Portal of Government of India (https://eprocure.gov.in/cppp/).

During 2020-21, HPCL released LOIs for setting up 100 new CBG Plants with a capacity of 635 Tonnes per Day, taking cumulative to 151 LOIs with capacity of 841 Tonnes per Day, with many more LoIs to be released in coming times towards the national cause.

CBG produced at these plants will be transported through cascades (or through pipelines, if feasible) to the retail outlet (fuel station) networks of OMCs for marketing as a green transport fuel alternative.

For more information, kindly visit ‘SATAT (CBG – Compressed Bio-Gas)’

Notice Inviting EOI for CBG (3.5 MB)