Petroleum Minister to unveil SATAT initiative to promote CBG as alternative fuel

Use of CBG will also help bring down dependency on crude oil imports and in realizing the Prime Minister’s vision of enhancing farmers’ income, rural employment, and entrepreneurship.

Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will kick off an innovative initiative in New Delhi on 1st October, 2018, with PSU Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs ,i.e. IOC, BPCL and HPCL) inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) from potential entrepreneurs to set up Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) production plants and make available CBG in the market for use in automotive fuels. This significant move has the potential to boost availability of more affordable transport fuels, better use of agricultural residue, cattle dung and municipal solid waste, as well as to provide an additional revenue source to farmers.

Titled SATAT, the initiative is aimed at providing a Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) as a developmental effort that would benefit both vehicle-users as well as farmers and entrepreneurs.

To be launched on the penultimate day of the ongoing Swachhta Hi Seva fortnight, a mass movement to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's vision of a Clean India, this initiative holds great promise for efficient municipal solid waste management and in tackling the problem of polluted urban air due to farm stubble-burning and carbon emissions. Use of CBG will also help bring down dependency on crude oil imports and in realizing the Prime Minister's vision of enhancing farmers' income, rural employment, and entrepreneurship.

(With inputs from PIB)