Punjab to curb 'stubble burning' pollution with biofuel plan

Stubble burning (File) Stubble burning

Blame for heavy atmospheric pollution during winter in north India in 2017 was laid at the doors of farmers in Punjab burning stubble. But the Punjab government hopes that the coming winters will be clear—not just in Punjab, but also in Delhi and across the Indo-Gangetic plains.

The Power and Renewable Energy Department of Punjab has taken steps that minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar hopes will address the issue of pollution caused by paddy straw burning in the state.

An estimated 20 million tonnes of paddy straw is produced in Punjab every year. While about a quarter of it is put to sundry uses, most of it is burnt in the fields. This, according to Kangar, is the paddy straw that could produce 5-6 tonnes of biogas or bio-CNG or bio-ethanol.

The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) already has seven bio-mass power plants under way in the state, but now steps have been taken in the direction of generating bio-CNG and bio-ethanol from paddy straw.

The state government has signed MoUs with four companies including the IOC and HPCL to produce biogas, bio-CNG and bio-ethanol from paddy straw. Work on setting up the plants has begun.

IOC had signed an MoU with PEDA to set up bio-CNG plants all over Punjab. In the first stage, 42 plants will be set up. Work is scheduled to start in Sangrur, Bathinda and Nabha towards this.

HPCL will set up a plant in Nasibpura village of Talwandi Sabo Tehsil of Bathinda district, the paperwork work related to which is almost complete and setting up of the plant is in progress. The company is investing around Rs 1,000 crore on this project. After operationalisation of the plant, about 500 tonnes paddy straw will be used every day and will generate 100 kilolitre of bio-ethanol daily.

Rika Biofuel Development Limited signed an MoU last month through Invest Punjab, which would invest Rs 700 crore to set up biogas/bio-CNG plants.

Germany-based company Verbio India Private Limited has also signed an MoU to manufacture bio-CNG from paddy straw at a plant to be set up in Bhutalkalan village of Leharagga tehsil of Sangrur district. The total cost of this '100 per cent' FDI project is approximately Rs 75 crore. It will use 300 tonnes paddy stubble per day and will produce 33.23 tonnes bio-CNG daily. Apart from this, 350 tonnes of organic manure will also be produced per day.

All these plants are expected to generate local jobs as well.