Pakistan inaugurates first commercial-scale biogas plant

Pakistan’s first commercial-size biogas plant was has been inaugurated by US consul general Yuriy Fedkiw and the Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Department of Punjab Asif Saeed Manais.

Joining these dignitaries at the government-owned Bahadurnagar Farm in Okara were Lollywood singers and dancers, bringing a bit of glamour to biogas technology.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Nestle Pakistan, working together through the Dairy and Rural Development Foundation (DRDF), collaborated with the Punjab Livestock and Dairy Development in the construction of the biogas unit.

The plant will yield significant benefits including electricity generation for agricultural production, cooking gas, and manure production.

“Promoting energy efficiency and scaling up renewable energy requires an effective and supportive enabling environment. Today’s ceremony highlights the importance of alternative energy resources, not just in Pakistan, but globally as well,” said consul general Fedkiw.

“Establishing biogas units in rural communities is an efficient and effective way of meeting local energy needs by utilising renewable resources,” he added.

“The Government of Punjab is committed to resolve the energy crisis which has adversely impacted the agriculture and industrial sectors. The vast potential of biogas should be explored further to provide an alternative to 122 million people in Punjab without a reliable source of energy,” Manais said.