Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), a state-run energy major, has signed a joint venture (JV) agreement with GPS Renewables Pvt Ltd to establish a network of compressed biogas (CBG) plants across India, in a move aimed at bolstering the country’s renewable energy infrastructure and accelerating BPCL’s Net Zero goals.
The agreement, announced in a press release on Wednesday, marks a formalisation of an earlier collaboration announced in September 2024. The JV will focus on converting organic biomass waste into CBG, a clean and renewable energy source, through advanced waste-to-energy technologies.
BPCL said the joint venture will help tackle several pressing environmental challenges, including the management of agricultural residue—particularly stubble burning—as well as reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and creation of rural income opportunities through structured agri-residue procurement.
The two companies plan to set up 8 to 10 CBG plants over the next few years across Bihar, Odisha, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, regions rich in agricultural biomass and aligned with BPCL’s city gas distribution networks. This alignment, BPCL said, would help reduce logistics costs and enhance operational efficiency.
The initiative also supports key government schemes such as GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan), SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation), and the CBG Blending Obligation (CBO).
“The partnership signifies a strong public-private collaboration to develop innovative and scalable clean energy solutions to support India’s low-carbon transition,” BPCL said in the release.
BPCL, a Fortune Global 500 company, is India’s second-largest oil marketing firm with integrated operations across refining, marketing, and exploration. It currently operates refineries in Mumbai, Kochi, and Bina with a total capacity of 35.3 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA). The company has over 23,500 fuel stations and a broad distribution network across the country. BPCL aims to become a Net Zero Energy Company by 2040 (Scope 1 and 2 emissions).
GPS Renewables, one of India’s leading biofuel companies, has developed more than 100 biogas plants and recently acquired Germany-based Proweps Envirotech GmbH to strengthen its technology and engineering capabilities in municipal and agri-waste-to-biogas solutions. Its portfolio includes Asia’s largest renewable natural gas (RNG) plant, based on municipal solid waste in Indore.
