The Tamil Nadu Energy Development Agency (TEDA) will work with the sago units in Namakkal and Rasipuram areas to help them install biogas plants.
Chairman and Managing Director of TEDA R. Christodas Gandhi said about 100 units in the belt had already installed biogas plants. Another 50 proposed to invest in similar projects. “We have already started talks with them,” he said here on Friday, inaugurating a two-day conference on “Renewable Energy in Pulp and Paper Mills” organised by the Indian Agro and Recycled Paper Mills’ Association.
A.K. Dhussa, Director in the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, explained that there were two aspects to these projects. One was production of biogas from industrial waste and the other was power generation from biogas. The Union Government provided Rs. 50 lakh subsidy for production of 12,000 cubic metre of gas (one MW equivalent) and Rs. 1 crore subsidy for generation of one MW from the biogas.
The region had about 450 sago industries and the potential for energy production from the waste in these units was 60 MW. Some of them were completely independent of grid power now by installing biogas plants.
Mr. Gandhi suggested that the agency could work with the paper industry too to help the sector tap the renewable energy potential. “We can work together regarding investment patterns, technology and consultancy.”
The industries would stand to gain by tapping the potential in renewables. It would help reduce costs, logistics, and dependency on fossil fuel.
