Bioenergy boost: India has 132 CBG plants operational nationwide; output touches 920 tonnes per day
India has set up 132 Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) plants with a combined production capacity of 920 tonnes perday, with more capacity being added under the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative, Union petroleum and natural gas minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on X.In a social media post, the minister said the CBG programme is helping convert farm and organic waste into clean fuel while supporting rural incomes and lowering emissions. “What was once waste is now powering progress. India has 132 Compressed Bio Gas plants producing 920 TPD today, with more capacity coming up under SATAT,” Puri wrote.SATAT was launched on October 1, 2018, with the objective of creating an ecosystem for producing CBG from waste and biomass sources across the country. Under the initiative, oil and gas marketing companies such as IOCL, BPCL, HPCL, GAIL and IGL have invited expressions of interest from entrepreneurs to procure CBG for marketing, according to news agency ANI.Separately, the minister also highlighted recent steps taken to boost India’s domestic energy production. Puri said that in December 2025, India offered 50 new exploration and production blocks covering oil, gas and coal bed methane assets, describing it as a significant step towards strengthening energy security.“We are offering 50 new E&P blocks across Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP-X): 25 blocks, Discovered Small Field (DSF-IV): 55 fields across 9 contract areas/blocks. Special CBM Bid Rounds 2025 and 2026: 3 blocks (2025) & 13 blocks (2026),” the minister said in his post.Under the Open Acreage Licensing Policy, 25 blocks covering around 1.83 lakh square kilometres are on offer, including onland, shallow water, deepwater and ultra-deepwater blocks. Puri said these blocks allow exploration throughout the contract period, graded royalty rates and flexibility in work programmes.The Discovered Small Field Bid Round-IV includes 55 discoveries across nine contract areas, with incentives such as zero royalty for the first seven years in deepwater areas and relaxed eligibility norms. Similar incentives apply to coal-bed methane rounds, including pricing freedom and cost reimbursement for mandated drilling in the 2026 round, as per ANI.Puri also said the Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Act, 2025 and the PNG Rules 2025 have introduced a unified regulatory framework to improve ease of doing business in the sector.
