Chandigarh, Jan 10 (IANS): The Punjab government has planned to utilise around 1.8 million tons (MT) paddy straw in the under implementation 43 compressed biogas (CBG) projects per annum, New and Renewable Energy Sources Minister Aman Arora said on Tuesday.

Addressing the CBG Developers, he said the state is in process of forming core group of all stakeholders like PEDA, GAIL, CGD companies, CBG producers and PBIP to coordinate for off-take of CBG through gas pipelines.

He said Asia's largest CBG plant of total capacity 33.23 tons per day (TPD) has already been commissioned in Sangrur and another CBG project of 12 TPD capacity has been commissioned in Khanna and is under trial run.

Presently, about three tons CBG is produced in the plant daily.

As many as 41 additional CBG projects, which have been allotted by Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA), are under implementation at various stages of execution and expected to be commissioned in next two years, he added.

On completion, all these projects will produce 515.58 TPD CBG per annum by consuming around two million tons agriculture residue annually, said Arora, while adding the state has a potential to set up 200 more CBG projects of 10 TPD capacity each in addition to these projects as around 20 millon tons of paddy straw is produced per annum in the state.

Assuring every possible support to CBG developers from the state government, Arora said the government has been providing many incentives such as exemption from land registration charges and stamp duty, electricity charges, exemption from CLU & EDC charges, besides ensuring all facilities at single-stop clearances through Invest Punjab.