Biomass to Energy –

Opportunities & Challenges in

IndiaThe investment case for sustainable production

systems

tcbiomass 2015

2-6 Nov 2015, Westin River North, Chicago

Ramakrishna Y B

Chairman – Working Group on Bio Fuels, Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas

Government f India

E Mail : ybramakrishna@gmail.com

Historical background

• World’s first Bio gas plant set up in Matunga, Mumbai in 1892

• Power petrol was sold in Mumbai between 1944 – 47 (20% Ethanol blends)

• World largest population dependent on woody bio mass for cooking live in India

• World’s first low density Bio mass based power generating unit (Rankine cycle) established in 2001

• Varieties of home grown solutions ranging from efficient smoke less cook stoves, Bio methanation, Bio gasifiers, Pyrolyses, fermentation, bio oil to esterification, to 2nd

generation Ethanol

Government of India Initiatives on Bio

Energy in the past

• MNRE (Ministry for new & renewable energy) has in place renewable energy policy covering Bio energy

• Bio fuel policy adopted in Dec 2009 with 20% blending target by 2017

• Roles of various ministries such as agriculture, rural development, environment & forest DST and DBT defined

• Bio Diesel Mission taken up in 2002-03 to bring focus on Bio diesel. Completely shelved in 2010

• Many programs for smoke less cook stoves, cow dung based bio methanation plants and bio gasifiers for rural electrification initiated

• States like Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and UP have well defined Bio fuel programs in place

Reality check in end 2014

• Solid bio mass based cook stoves – all expensive stoves produced and supplied by corporate under government subsidy program were stored away in attics. The inexpensive lively hood models with no govt. support meets with partial success but no scaling

• 4 million Cow dung based bio gas units dysfunctional

• Bio gasifiers for rural electrification – no scaling up as supply chain issues and feed in tariff not tackled

• End of life plastic to fuel – more than 150 Pyrolyses units operational – inferior technology

• Bio Ethanol blending at 1.7% on pan India basis as against notified target of 5% in 17 and 10% in 5 States

• Bio Diesel blending had not taken off. Bio diesel Mission and Jatropha did not deliver

New Initiatives in 2015• Revisit Bio Energy policy. Recast all bio energy

programs. New Renewable Energy Act ready to be placed before the parliament

• A new Bio mass cook stove announced – to Spend Rs. 3000 Million in 3 years

• A task force on Bio Gas production constituted. A detailed road map is being drawn.

• 10 million small bio gas plants planned for rural and semi urban areas based on cow dung, kitchen waste and agri. Residues to replace LPG besides revival of 4 million dysfunctional units

• 100,000 large bio gas planned with agri. residue and MSW for production of Bio CNG to replace CNG for transport and industrial applications

• A massive Bio mass study, Characterisation, technology mapping for up scaling bio energy under way

• All targets to be reached by 2022

Bio Mass availability• Fourteen crops and twenty biomass residues were

covered under TIFAC study in 2007-08

• Sugarcane, Rice and Wheat are the most grown crops in India accounting for over 91 per cent of the production of crops.

• Total of biomass residues is in the order of 650 million Metric tonnes per annum

• The top four states generating these residues are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab.

• Surplus Bio mass from these crops is in the order of 200 million metric tonnes per annum as per TIFAC study

• The current estimates show a surplus of over 320 million metric tonnes

• The current study will focus on all major crops and some minor crops, final report in about an years time will put a dynamic system in place and characterize each of the bio mass in 500-600 locations

New Initiatives in 2015• All hurdles on Bio Ethanol blending program cleared.

Blending jumps from 1.7% to 3.5% in six months on way

to reach 5% target by end of fiscal year in Mar 2016.

Target 20% by 2022. The requirement of Ethanol will be

approximately 4 million tonnes for 20% blending

• Bio diesel blending program pilot started in August 2015

in 18 cities. 5% blending mandate being contemplated in

4-5 states in next 2 months. 3% all India target by 2022.

The requirement of Bio diesel in 2022 will be 3 million

tonnes

• Bio fuel cell, National working group on Bio fuels set up

at Ministry of Petroleum. A working group in Ministry of

New & Renewable energy is set up

• Hon . Prime Minister announces 10% reduction of crude

oil import by 2022 and target to replace it with Bio fuels.

New Initiatives in 2015

• Indian Railways largest consumer of diesel in the world start 5% blending of bio diesel in 48 out of 250 depots

• Haldia Port declared Green port – starts 20% bio diesel blending. Other ports to follow.

• Karnataka Road transport starts 20% biodiesel blending. 5 More state road transport corporations to follow

• All Oil Marketing Companies directed to set up commercial scale 2nd generation Ethanol plants with home grown technologies

• MOU’s signed in Punjab, Gujarat & Assam for setting up totally 650,000 tonnes of 2nd generation Ethanol from Rice straw, cotton and bamboo with investment and technologies from Europe

• MSW to Energy – Exploring technology options, Policy and institutional frame work is currently being reviewed

• 15 PSU’s to invest in setting up demo/pilot plants

Looking ahead

• Committed leadership – New Policy frame works, clear road maps, mandates and implementation strategies being worked out

• Resource (land, water, human) assessment, application of appropriate technologies to address rural energy needs is underway

• Mechanisms for community participation in the entire value chain for maximising benefits and to create win-win situation - Production for Masses and Production by Masses to become the Mantra

• Institutional mechanisms to be put in place for promotion, planning, implementation and monitoring of Bio energy programs involving Central, State and local governments, Academia, Ngo’s, communities, financial Institutions and private sector

• Advocacy, training, skill development and capacity building emphasised

“Earth has enough resources to meet peoples needs, but will never have enough to satisfy people’s greed” – M K Gandhi

Being part of the solution

Thank You