The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, inaugurated Hindustan Petroleum Corporation’s (HPCL) pioneering biomass-based compressed biogas (CBG) plant in Budaun on 27 January, 2024 in the presence of Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri and other dignitaries.

The inauguration of this plant aligns with the government’s aim to reduce dependence on import of fossil fuels. The plant has a processing capacity of 100 tonne per day (tpd) of rice straw and can generate 14 tpd of CBG along with 65 tpd of solid manure.

It has been commissioned with an investment of Rs 133 crore by HPCL and is spread across an area of approx. 50 acres. In the coming time, more than 100 such bio-gas plants will be set up in the state, the Minister further informed.

Upon stabilisation of production, the CBG plant at Badaun will help in reducing stubble burning of 17,500-20,000 acres of fields translating into an annual reduction of 55,000 tonne of CO2 emissions.

It would lead to direct employment generation of around 100 people and indirect employment generation of around 1,000 people.