Indian government’s unified biogas registration tool deemed a success

The Indian government's biogas portal - which acts as a one-stop repository for users to assess investment and participation in biogas at a pan-Indian level - has experienced a positive start.
The Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) initiative aims to transform "waste to wealth" using a "whole of government" approach, and has started stimulating investments and reaping good results, according to India's government.
The portal was launched for streamlining the process of registration of functional, under-construction and/or yet-to-start biogas facilities across the country.
Launched on 1 June this year, the project has created a nurturing ecosystem for compressed biogas (CBG) through a raft of policy enablers and attractive benefits.
The government said it is witnessing strong enthusiasm from states in the country, as well as from CBG operators and investors.
In just 60 days, over 1,200 plants - including 320 CBG plants and 892 biogas plants, covering as many as 450 districts in India - have been registered on the portal.
Of the commissioned CBG plants registered on the portal, 52 have the capacity to process more than 6,600 tonnes per day (TPD) of organic/agri-residue to produce more than 300 TPD of CBG and more than 2,000 TPD of fermented organic manure (FOM).
India's government expects the registration numbers to rise further, due to its policies devoted to nurturing the CBG/biogas sector.
Enabling initiatives include framing a scheme for Market Development Assistance (MDA) of Rs. 1500/Ton for the promotion of organic fertilisers (a co-product of GOBARdhan plants); an amendment in the Fertiliser Control Order to make the marketing of FOM/Liquid FOM easier; an exemption of central excise duty to CNG blended with CBG to prevent double taxation; and inclusion of CBG in the list of activities for trading of carbon credit under bilateral/cooperative approaches.
The biogas industry in India has welcomed these initiatives, according to the government. Upcoming policies including fiscal support for biomass aggregation and pipeline connectivity from the CBG plants to the city gas distribution grid are envisioned to create greater awareness and participation for the stakeholders across the value chain.