Chandauli (UP), April 6 In a time when concerns have arisen about the supply of cooking gas in parts of the country, a village in eastern Uttar Pradesh has become self-reliant, with biogas powering the kitchens of over 125 households at almost half the cost of LPG.
The initiative of the Ekauni village has drawn attention for its cost-effectiveness and environmental benefits.
The biogas plant, installed with the support of a Pune-based clean energy company, supplies gas to around 125 families in the village, which has a population of about 500-600.
Nagendra Pratap Singh, a local farmer, said he has been running a cowshed with around 200 cows since 1995, but the disposal of cow dung had long been a challenge.
His son, Chandraprakash Singh, who studied architecture at an institute in Bhopal, explored solutions and upgraded the cowshed with the help of the Pune-based company in 2016 by integrating technology and setting up the biogas plant.
"The plant was installed at a cost of around Rs 85 lakh, fully funded by the company, and has been operational since then," Chandraprakash said.
He said the plant supplies biogas twice every day – 2.5 hours each in the morning and evening. The monthly cost for users does not exceed Rs 400, making it almost half as expensive as LPG.
"Almost every household here also has an LPG connection, but people use it only when biogas supply is not available," he added.
Amid concerns over energy supply, Chandraprakash said, more people from nearby villages have shown interest in the model and about 25 additional households have recently taken connections.
Explaining the initiative's environmental benefits, he said the plant captures methane gas generated from cow dung, which is otherwise harmful to the environment, and uses it as a clean cooking fuel.
Harshad Kulkarni, co-founder of Sustain Plus Foundation, associated with the Pune-based company which helped set up the biogas plant, said the land for the plant was provided in 2022 by Chandraprakash's father, following which the facility was set up with investment support.
He said the company collects cow dung from the cowshed every day and uses it to produce biogas. The project has also generated employment for two villagers.
Kulkarni said biogas connections are metered and billed monthly based on usage, while infrastructure such as pipelines and stoves has been provided free of cost to users. The supply network currently covers a radius of up to 4 km.
Around 3,000 kg of cow dung is processed every day by mixing it with water in a tank, after which methane gas is generated, stored and supplied to households through pipelines, he explained.
Kulkarni said the plant will be fully handed over to the village owner in 2032.
Officials and locals said the model has not only reduced dependence on the conventional cooking gas, but also contributed to cleaner surroundings and sustainable energy use in the village.