The Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA) has floated an empanelment tender for large-sized biogas projects in the state.

The contract will also include the running and maintenance of the project for 10 years.  The last date to submit the bids is November 02, 2020, and the opening of bids will take place on the same date.

In its proposed amendments to its renewable purchase obligation (RPO) regulations in August, biogas has been brought under the ambit of renewable sources, which was earlier not included in the list.

Interested bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹100,000 (~$1,362.6) as the registration fee to participate in the competitive bidding process. The contractor should complete and commission the project within four months.

To participate in the competitive bidding process, the bidder should have successfully constructed at least three large biogas projects of a minimum capacity of 25 m3/day each. They should also have executed a biogas project worth at least ₹2 million (~$27,253) in the last three years.

As per the tender document, the payment of subsidy to the authorized contractor will be made in three installments. The first and second installations will be  40% each, while the last installment would cover 20% and will be paid after the commissioning and one-month training for operation and maintenance.

The central government is also promoting the use of compressed biogas as an alternative green transport fuel for the efficient management of biomass and organic waste. Biomass and organic waste sources like paddy straw, farm stubble, agricultural residue, cattle dung, sugarcane press mud, distillery spent wash, municipal solid waste, and sewage treatment plants offer huge potential for biogas production.

The oil public sector units launched the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative on October 1, 2018. SATAT initiative is expected to have the potential of addressing environmental problems arising from landfill emissions, farm stubble burning, and bringing down the dependency on oil imports. Until June 2019, oil and gas marketing companies are said to have awarded letters of intent (LoIs) to 344 plants for the production and supply of compressed biogas.

Early this year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) released a list of technically qualified organizations for independent third-party evaluation study for the New National Biogas and Organic Manure Program and the Biogas based Power Generation (Off-grid) and Thermal Energy Applications Program (BPGTP).