Cofiring mandate

A driving force for solid biomass use is the cofiring mandate issued by the Ministry of Power in 2021. This mandate coming into force in the FY 2024-25 requires thermal power plants to cofire with 5 percent biomass. In 2023 the mandate was modified to increase to 7 percent biomass cofiring in the FY 2025-26.

Taking into account that thermal power plants in India are currently using approximately 700 million tonnes of coal per year the enormity of the challenge is apparent. Compliance with the mandate would make India the single largest producer and user of biomass for power generation worldwide.

Translated into biomass pellets, India would require around 50 million tonnes of pellets to fulfill the targets.

The reality of solid biomass use in India is very different from the ambitious plans. The Ministry has published current numbers of cofiring that amount to no more than 165,000 tonnes of biomass that have been cofired in total by May 2023.

While 46 thermal power plants have been doing their first trials of cofiring, only three plants have been using more than 10,000 tonnes. Many have reported volumes of tested biomass pellets below 100 tonnes. A 1.2 GW power plant reported cofiring five tonnes of biomass, suggesting a certain lack of ambition.

At a dinner hosted by the World Bioenergy Association during the India Energy Week, the general manager of a technology multinational disclosed that the company has established a total of 27 pellet mills in India with a combined annual production capacity of 500,000 tonnes – about 0.01 percent of 50 million tonnes needed for the mandate.

All are producing wood pellets and they were established in the woodworking region of India, where mainly imported sawlogs are being processed in around 6,000 sawmills.

The source also reported that major new projects were under negotiation with production capacities of over 1 million tonnes annually based on bamboo as a raw material. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) reported a national daily pellet production capacity of 7,000 tonnes for 2022-23, which means a national annual production capacity of slightly over 2 million tonnes.

A logistical challenge

The driving motivation behind biomass cofiring in India is related to the tremendous air pollution caused by straw burning in the fields. The biomass potential that would be available for energy use is well beyond 200 million tonnes of various sorts of residues.

The specific challenge of utilizing these resources is the logistics. As soon as farmers have harvested their fields, they are in a hurry to put seeds into the ground for the next harvest. This leaves little time for collecting straw and burning it in the fields immediately solves the problem of getting rid of the straw.

Significant investments would be necessary, to establish capacities for baling and collecting the residues and storing them in a dry place.

At the same time power plant operators want to keep the price of biomass as low as possible and a model contract for long-term biomass supply issued by the Ministry of Power suggests a pellet price of around EUR 100 per tonne ex-works, which can be achieved only by hardly paying anything for the raw material.

The intention seems to be to force farmers by legal requirements to refrain from straw burning and deliver the straw at almost no cost, rather than creating an economic incentive to do so. It remains to be seen, if this approach will be successful.

Clean green cooking with biomass pellets

The domestic use of biomass in India as fuel for cooking is still predominant. Cooking over an open fire is widely used with catastrophic health implications for women and children, especially if cooking takes place indoors during the cooler periods of the year.

Atul Joshi, Director at Earthfith, an Indian producer of improved cookstoves, confirmed that pellet cooking would by far be the best way to improve the cooking situation.

However, the century-old habit of collecting firewood and any rubbish that can be found for cooking fuel is very hard to overcome. Hence, he sells only improved firewood stoves and remains skeptical that pellet cooking will become more successful if pellets become widely available due to ramping up biomass cofiring.

Ashwin Patil, director of Biofuels Junction PVT Ltd reported that his company is successfully producing pellets and briquettes and offering energy service contracts to industries needing process steam.

While the client invests in the boiler, Biofuels Junction supplies it with fuel and remains responsible for boiler operation and maintenance. Industries are willing to pay more for the fuel than power plants, especially if pellets replace oil or gas.

International opportunity

It should be said that the Government of India is aware of the current huge gap between the ambition and reality of solid biomass use in India.

World Bioenergy Association has offered the Ministry of Power and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energies to establish close cooperation to make the experiences gained during the expansion of the European pellet sector available for developing biomass supply chains in India.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is currently being negotiated and could become the foundation of a fruitful international cooperation creating significant economic opportunities for the wider pellet industry value chain.

An upcoming WBA webinar “Solutions for reducing India’s coal use in power today – The role of biomass” will convene policymakers and industries including biomass producers, traders, and utilities to share experiences on biomass co-firing on May 23, 2024.

This article was first published in Bioenergy International no. 2-2024. Note that as a magazine subscriber, you gain access to the e-magazine and articles like this before the print edition reaches your desk!

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Program and registration!

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Here are some reasons why almost 100 persons from more than 50 companies and organisations have already registered:

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• PARTICIPATE IN THE EXHIBITION ON NETWORKING AREAS: By participating in the conference and exhibition, your company gains visibility among the industry’s most influential players and decision-makers.
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Register your company now and secure a spot at the Nordic Pellets Conference 2024. Give your business the exposure it deserves and create lasting business relationships with key players in the pellets industry.

Contact us today to discuss customized marketing and exhibition opportunities that suit your needs and goals. Together, we are building a sustainable future in the pellet industry!

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Officiated by the Governor of Kroneberg Maria Arnholm, the opening took place on August 31, 2023, with representatives from Metacon and Uppvidinge Vätgas, the special purpose vehicle (SPV), along with around 200 hydrogen stakeholders.

The event also included a seminar on various ongoing hydrogen projects and investments in Sweden as well as hydrogen-powered vehicles from Volvo Trucks and Toyota.

Thorbjörn Bennesved for Uppvidinge Vätgas and Christer Wikner, CEO of Metacon spoke on the importance of hydrogen for their companies and products and for the fossil-free society.

Other speakers included Björn Aronsson, CEO of Hydrogen Sweden, Niclas Johnson, Sales Manager for Volvo Trucks Sweden, Fredrik Wigelius, Sales Manager for Toyota Sweden, Magnus Sahlin, CEO of Trelleborgs Energi, who shared their thoughts and knowledge on the future of hydrogen, its current needs and potential as an important future climate-neutral vehicle fuel.

Fuel cell electric trucks will be suitable for long distances, where charging infrastructure is lacking or charging time is an obstacle, as a complement to battery electric trucks, and will become a reality in the second half of this decade. Refueling infrastructure for hydrogen is needed for heavy vehicles and we at Volvo Trucks are very happy about Metacon and Uppvidinge Vätgas’ investment here in Småland. They are pioneers and we are proud to be involved in inaugurating this investment in sustainable transport, commented Niclas Johnson, Sales Manager at Volvo Trucks Sweden.

Local and fully autonomous

What makes the Älghult hydrogen refueler unique in the Swedish context is that the hydrogen is produced in a dedicated electrolyzer built in close proximity to the refueling station, and this electrolyzer receives its electricity from a nearby wind turbine.

In this way, Uppvidinge Vätgas is completely self-reliant and autonomous. No hydrogen needs to be acquired externally and transported to the refueling station from other suppliers, and the green hydrogen is produced and distributed from the refueler without burdening the local power grid.

As a third-generation forest transport entrepreneur, it is a great moment that I, together with my partners in Uppvidinge and Metacon, now get to see the first part of our vision realized. We can’t build the vehicles we need but we can build gas stations. It is in light of this fantastic honor and promise that Volvo Trucks is now coming and showing off the hydrogen trucks that my company wants to switch to in the future, commented Thorbjörn Bennesved, Uppvidinge Vätgas.

Scalable and adaptable

The facility in Älghult is part of Metacon’s investment in smaller scalable units for site-based hydrogen production. The plant can easily be expanded by adding more electrolyzers and refueling stations.

Similar facilities from Metacon can easily be adapted to the local availability of green electricity from one or more wind turbines, but also other electricity sources such as e.g. a solar PV park or small local hydropower plants can be used for local electricity production, or via a conventional power grid connection.

The facility in Älghult also demonstrates the possibility of easily transporting the hydrogen between the production unit and the refueling station, which provides the opportunity for easy delivery of locally produced hydrogen to a number of refueling stations placed where they are most needed.

Metacon also produces plants that, with its patented catalytic steam methane reforming (CSMR) technology, can convert methane (fossil or renewable natural gas – RNG),  or ethanol to produce green hydrogen on-site, without the need for external electricity.

I am extremely happy and proud that we have now built and inaugurated this ground-breaking facility and honored by the presence of all visitors including the Governor and leading vehicle manufacturers with hydrogen vehicles such as Volvo Trucks and Toyota. This is just the beginning of an exciting and important development of the hydrogen market. And what we have heard from the visitors today ensures that we can be involved in many future projects in Sweden and abroad, commented Christer Wikner, CEO of Metacon.

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Whenever and wherever bioenergy is discussed

A seemingly pretentious motto yet a simple visionary statement of ambition. Biomass is the world’s single largest renewable energy source. According to the “2015 Key Energy Statistics“ from the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world’s total primary energy supply (TPES) 2013, including international aviation and marine bunkers, amounted to 13 541 million tonnes oil equivalents (Mtoe). Of this “biofuels and waste” accounted for 10.2 percent, which is almost three times larger than all the other renewable energy sources including hydro, combined. Forty years ago, in 1973, it had a 10.5 percent share of the global TPES of 6 100 Mtoe. Thus in real terms, biomass has over doubled its contribution. At the same time biomass is arguably the most misunderstood and emotive energy resource. Its inherent diversity and interdependency makes it complex. Its complexity is often compounded by confusion as biomass only affords a contextual “it depends” answer to yes or no, good or bad style questions.

A good trade publication serves its readers and advertisers as a source of accurate, reliable and inspirational information while providing a relevant contact point. This symbiotic relationship enables a powerful collective communication platform that helps develop and grow the sector. As advocate press our brief is to promote the economic, environmental and societal benefits of the sustainable use of biomass for energy, demonstrating its role as an integral part of the bioeconomy. This we do by using the power of example, wherever it may be, so that it can serve as inspiration to others. In the increasingly challenging biomass business environment, it is imperative that such examples are shown, the stories told and contextual records set straight.

Therefore editorial priority is given to the “doers” taken from across the biomass-to-energy value chains; biomass feedstock, production and collection systems, biomass refining and processing technologies, biomass storage and transportation systems, biomass utilisation intermediaries and technologies as well as R&D. Features range from on-site coverage of commercial facilities and integrated installations to pilot plants and projects.

We strive to make Bioenergy International the natural choice for those active in the bioenergy sphere and anyone interested in keeping up with developments as they unfold in this growing arena. In short, if biomass is your business then Bioenergy International is your brief. It is your story and that of your clients or your clients’ client, we want share. It is your subscription, your advertising and sponsoring custom that enables our on the ground coverage and dissemination through different channels. It is your continued support and commitment that will help us form the unwritten chapters that lie ahead. It is together that we can tell them.

Alan Sherrard, Editor-in-Chief

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