Punjab Biomass Plans 96 Megawatts of Renewable Projects in India

Ganesh Nagarajan, Bloomberg
October 17, 2012 | 5 Comments

Punjab Biomass Power Ltd., a developer of clean-energy projects in India, plans to set up 96 megawatts of plants fueled by rice straw by 2017.

The company, backed by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd. and Bermaco Energy Ltd., expects to raise 800 million rupees ($15.2 million) by February for its next plant in northern Punjab state, Bermaco Managing Director Monish Ahuja said in a phone interview today from Mumbai. It has an existing 12-megawatt plant in Patiala district.

India, the second-largest producer of rice and sugar, estimates it has the potential to produce 17,536 megawatts of power from burning crop waste, the equivalent capacity of about 16 nuclear plants. It has built 3,319 megawatts of biomass capacity, including plants fueled by sugar-cane pulp that produce both electricity and heat, according to data from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

Punjab Biomass plans seven more 12-megawatt projects that will sell power to Punjab State Power Corp. That expansion may include the purchase of a shuttered plant owned by the state government, he said.

IL&FS owns 51 percent of Punjab Biomass, and the remainder is held by Bermaco. Gammon Infrastructure Projects Ltd. exited the company last year.

Interested in learning more about this topic? Come to Renewable Energy World North America in Orlando this December and check out our session: Rice Husks, Sludge, Wood Waste and More: How Viable are Alternative Fuels for Heat or Power?

Lead image: Rice straw via Shutterstock

5 Comments

Phil Manke
November 22, 2012

#330004; My past info says human or animal dung and celulose along with water and a wide range of plant material works well in gas production digesters. The right enzyme starter culture is managed in a wide range of temperatures, with certain higher temp ranges producing more gas from a celulosic base. Many developing countries have the raw materials for this, and can set up continuous flow digesters in large air-locked tubes or round, radial flow vats. In cooler climates, solar thermal collectors may augment the temperature gain since little heat is generated in anerobic digestion. This asside, maintaining soil fertility is more important than electric generation. People cannot eat electricity and healthy people cannot flourish without good food. Industrial development is often concerned with moving wealth upward and not with feeding people. I apologize if this is getting off topiuc.

Prince Maloba
November 4, 2012

There is adequate biomass energy and solar energy opportunity in Kenya and Uganda-is there serious investor who can partner with us to set up clean energy project plant in Kenya or Uganda to produce reliable electricity among other services.You can reach us at uusa1122@gmail.com

ANONYMOUS
November 3, 2012

Rice strwa burning in medium sized facilities may give 25% electrical efficiency at best, I doubt the heat can be used effectively. AD plants may under certain conditions be able to digest straw, and are then indeed the better option, not only from a soil perpective but als energetically. When the biogas is upgraded to natural gas quality, the efficiency can be 80% rather than 25%.

BEN ATTAI
October 22, 2012

Digesters generally need protein and fat/oil to produce methane gas. Agicultural pulp & waste do not make a good digester feed. Burning those material make a better renewable energy source. Solids/biomass to energy do not preclude solar or wind. We have to use ALL kinds of renewables depending on their availability.

Phil Manke
October 19, 2012

As ever, the burning of so called waste products for electricity is a net loss to the country in a big way. The practice borrows from the health and well being (air quality) and soil fertility of future peoples to provide power for a small section of the populace at the expense of returning biomass to the soil. If power is desparately needed it is far better to process it in a methane digester plant and returning the sludge to the soil. The poorer and powerless masses stand to loose the most from this reactionary and foolish practice. It would be much better for the funded overseers to provide PV electricity and wind generation for these areas and return biomass to the soil in all countries.Future soil tilth is too high a price to pay for present profit. I am aware that the claim is made there is little tilth afforded from coarse rice straw, but there is some, and it's bulk can be diminished in methane digesters while enhancing availability of soil nutrients.