Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Shri Dharmendra Pradhan presided over a virtual ceremony in which a number of initiatives were launched to provide major fillip to the SATAT initiative, and help India leap ahead towards a greener tomorrow.

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SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) initiative for boosting production and availability of Compressed Bio Gas(CBG) as an alternative and affordable clean fuel for transportation sector was launched by Government of India on 1.10.2018. The scheme envisages setting up of 5000 CBG plants by FY 2023-24. With inclusion of forest waste, Agri-waste, animal husbandry waste and marine waste, SATAT involves a multi-pronged approach.

         SATAT will establish an ecosystem for the production of CBG from various waste and biomass sources in the country leading to multiple benefits viz. reduction of natural gas import, reduction of Green House Gasses(GHG) emission, reduction in burning of agriculture residues, remunerative income to farmers which will further stimulate the rural economy., employment generation, effective waste management; fulfilment of India’s COP-21 commitments for carbon emission reduction;efficient municipal solid waste management and in tackling the problem of polluted urban air due to farm stubble-burning and carbon emissions and will boost availability of affordable and clean transport fuels for sustainable development.

             Bio-gas is produced naturally (through a process of anaerobic decomposition) from waste /  bio-mass sources like agriculture residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, municipal solid waste, sewage treatment plant waste, etc. After purification, it is compressed and called CBG, which has high methane content.

              Further, Compressed Bio-Gas is exactly similar to the commercially available natural gas in its composition and energy potential. With similar calorific value and other properties similar to CNG, Compressed Bio-Gas can be used as an alternative, renewable automotive fuel. Given the abundance of biomass in the country, Compressed Bio-Gas has the potential to replace CNG in automotive, industrial and commercial uses in the coming years.

                The National Policy on Biofuels 2018 emphasises active promotion of advanced bio-fuels, including CBG. The Government of India had launched the GOBAR-DHAN (Galvanising Organic Bio-Agro Resources) scheme to convert cattle dung and solid waste in farms to CBG and compost. The scheme proposes to cover 700 projects across the country in 2018-19. 

                  The National Policy on Biofuels 2018 specifically promotes advanced biofuels to achieve a target of 20% blending of biofuels with fossil-based fuels by 2030. The central government announced advancing the target date for achieving 20 per cent ethanol-blending with petrol by two years. According to government notification, the increased ethanol blending will be applicable from April 2023.

Up to 100% FDI is allowed under the automatic route for renewable energy generation and distribution projects subject to provisions of The Electricity Act, 2003.

              As of 31 March 2021, the total installed capacity for Renewables is 92+ GW with the following break up:

• Wind power: 39.24 GW
• Solar Power: 40 GW
• BioPower: 10.31 GW
• Small Hydro Power: 4.79 GW 

The Union Cabinet had given its approval to introduce the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme in High Efficiency Solar PV Modules for Enhancing India’s Manufacturing Capabilities and Enhancing Exports.