LAHORE: The Punjab government has drawn up an ambitious province-wide plan to expand biogas production and has submitted a summary to the provincial cabinet seeking approval for private investment in commercial-scale projects.
The initiative aims to attract private investors to convert livestock waste into a source of indigenous and renewable energy, while reducing reliance on conventional fuels.
Under the proposed programme, the Energy Department plans to develop biogas projects across Punjab based on the availability of livestock and waste resources. The programme will combine large-scale commercial plants with smaller community- and household-level systems.
The plan rests on four major pillars: establishing commercial-scale biogas plants through private investment, providing technical assistance to private dairy farms, developing community-based small biogas plants in villages, and distributing biogas digesters among deserving families across the province.
Private Investment at the Core
The cabinet summary seeking approval for private investment is designed to establish an enabling framework for investors to develop commercially viable biogas projects.
Under the proposed model, private investors would finance, establish and operate biogas facilities and generate returns from the energy and other products produced from livestock waste.
The initiative marks a shift towards greater private-sector participation in Punjab’s renewable energy sector, with the provincial government seeking to leverage private capital, technology and expertise to accelerate the deployment of biogas facilities.
The programme could also provide an additional avenue for managing livestock waste while supporting cleaner, locally produced energy and creating economic opportunities in rural areas.
If approved, the framework would pave the way for wider private-sector investment in biogas production and help Punjab tap its substantial livestock waste potential as an indigenous energy resource.
Story by Asif Mehmood Butt
