She mentioned that this plant would start operations within the coming months and would be capable of producing clean and green gas from stubble, addressing the issue of stubble burning in the area. The gas produced by this plant will be supplied to companies like Indian Oil, Torrent, and others.

The DC urged the farmers to avoid burning stubble to protect the environment and the health of future generations, as the poisonous smoke may cause serious health issues for many people.

She also mentioned that the district administration has made arrangements for the purchase of straw and that specialised machinery is employed for stubble management. She stated that satellite surveillance would be used for monitoring the fields where field fires are being reported, and action would be taken as per regulations against farmers who violated the rules.

During the visit, Ramesh Sharma, the fuel manager of the Agriculture and Natural Gas Corporation here, and in-charge Jagtar Singh provided information about the plant. Chief Agriculture Officer Gurnam Singh, Agricultural Extension Officer Ravinder Pal Singh Chatha, and other officials were also present at the occasion.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/patiala/jaikhar-plant-to-produce-15-mt-natural-gas-daily-553976

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This effort will also lead to the production of pure organic fertiliser, contributing to the promotion of green energy and better health outcomes.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath released the Bio-Energy Policy 2022 to promote biofuel in UP and encourage large-scale investment in the sector. Many big investors had signed memorandums of understanding with the state government during the Global Investors’ Summit in this regard, and these MoUs are going to see the light of the day soon. The Yogi government has set a target to establish biogas plants in every tehsil, some of which will soon become operational.

One of the upcoming operational plants is Buland Biogas in Bulandshahr, situated in the Lauhgala tehsil. Buland Biogas had signed a MoU worth Rs 18.75 crore with the state government, the cost of which has now increased to Rs 21 crore. This plant will commence production in December and is projected to yield 3 tons of CNG per day. This production will contribute to reducing the state’s dependence on petrol and diesel. Additionally, this initiative is expected to generate employment opportunities for 80-100 people, including both skilled and unskilled workers.

According to Athar Ahmed, owner of Buland Biogas, the plant uses not only straw but also degradable waste like straw, cow dung, chaff, sugarcane waste, municipal waste or a mixture of all the gases. With the help of this technology, CNG is purified.

The licence for this plant has been obtained from Indian Oil.

He said that the most noteworthy aspect of this project was the bulk production of organic fertiliser.

All the waste generated during the compressed gas production process is 100 per cent organic, consisting of both solid and liquid components.

The liquid organic fertiliser produced by the plant will be distributed free of cost to farmers for a period of three years, with the identification of eligible farmers being the responsibility of the district magistrate or the chief development officer. This initiative aims to assist farmers who may face difficulties in purchasing fertilisers such as DAP and urea.

The advantages of organic and liquid fertilisers are manifold. Traditional fertilisers form a dense layer on the soil, which takes time to reach the roots of trees and plants. In contrast, organic fertilisers can reach the roots within two to three hours, significantly enhancing their effectiveness. This not only benefits farmers but also makes organic products available to people, improving their overall health, Athar Ahmed disclosed.

He further mentioned that the Yogi Adityanath government has propelled this project forward with remarkable speed, chiefly through the introduction of the Bio-Energy Policy 2022.

“This policy encompasses several provisions to facilitate the process. Firstly, it allows those who have obtained a LOI licence to apply for it. Moreover, both the Central and state governments are offering substantial subsidies, ranging from Rs 75 lakh to Rs 20 crore. Additionally, there is a 10-year exemption on surcharges for electricity, stamp duty and land development charges. Apart from this, a discount of 50 plus 30, i.e. a total of 80 per cent, is being given on machinery,” he informed.

Furthermore, arrangements are made for a consistent supply of raw materials, such as degradable waste. Long-term agreements have been established with sugar mills to procure sugarcane residue, and the Animal Husbandry department has been tasked with inking agreements with all government-run cowsheds for the procurement of cow dung. Additionally, for projects with a value of Rs 50 crore or more, the government is extending support by providing a 5-kilometre approach road. To assist the investors, the Yogi government has deployed Udyami Mitra. Every possible effort is being made by Bundalshahr’s Udyami Mitra Rajkumar to commence the plant as soon as possible, Athar Ahmed added.

https://www.dailypioneer.com/2023/state-editions/yogi-govt-in-up-gearing-up-to–produce-cng-from-stubble.html

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Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has penned a letter to Union minister Bhupender Yadav outlining seven key recommendations aimed at mitigating environmental challenges in the National Capital Region (NCR).

Among the suggestions to the Centre, the Delhi minister sought that Yadav convene an emergency meeting to deliberate on solutions to curb air pollution in the city and also demanded an absolute ban on firecrackers and stubble burning ahead of the season.

In the letter, Rai urged the central government to enforce the following measures to check Delhi air pollution:

Mandate CNG or Electric Vehicles for Public Transport: Rai proposed that all public transportation commuting from NCR to Delhi should exclusively operate on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) or electric power, reducing the carbon footprint significantly.

Ban Stubble Burning in NCR: To curb incidents of stubble burning in the NCR region, strict regulations need to be imposed to prevent this harmful agricultural practice.

Convert Industrial Units to Natural Gas: Industrial units in NCR states still utilizing polluting fuels should be immediately transitioned to piped natural gas, reducing emissions drastically.

Upgrade Brick Kilns: Polluting brick kilns prevalent in NCR states should adopt cleaner technologies to minimize air pollution and environmental damage.

Ensure Reliable Electricity Supply for Housing Societies: To decrease dependence on diesel generators, all housing societies in NCR states should be guaranteed a stable electricity supply, encouraging a shift to cleaner energy sources.

Complete Firecracker Ban Similar to Delhi: Rai suggested that, akin to Delhi, NCR states should enforce a comprehensive ban on firecrackers to mitigate air quality deterioration, especially during festivals.

Regulate Non-Destined Vehicles on Peripheral Expressways: Non-destined vehicles should be directed by respective state governments to use Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways right from their initial entry points, ensuring reduced traffic congestion and pollution in residential areas.

Writing on the matter, the environment minister mentioned that due to these steps, a 30 per cent reduction in pollution levels has been observed. In his letter to Yadav, Gopal Rai said that to combat the pollution, the administration needs to control the pollutants in the NCR and for that, systematic coordination with the neighbouring states has to be put in place “because 69 per cent of pollution in Delhi originates from the neighbouring states”, Rai held. 

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/delhi-environment-minister-gopal-rai-letter-bhupender-yadav-recommends-7-steps-to-curb-air-pollution-to-centre-2450349-2023-10-18

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The Ministry said on Sunday in a statement that the deals would help Iraq produce 400 million standard cubic feet of natural gas per day within 18 months in the blocks of Kilabat-Gumar and Khashim al-Hmer-Injana in the eastern province of Diyala province and Khudhr al-Maa in the southern province of Basra.

Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani said the government was keen to increase gas investment projects to reduce gas flaring, which refers to the burning of the natural gas associated with oil extraction, and use the gas for power generation, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iraq, a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has more than 145 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 132 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves. But it still flares much of its gas wealth and relies on Iranian gas imports to feed its power plants

https://www.siasat.com/iraq-signs-deals-with-uae-firm-to-develop-three-oil-gas-fields-2722884/

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According to Kenanga Research, securing the approval would open doors for Bumi Armada to bid for more FLNG projects in the global market.
“We are positive on the latest development that will open doors for Bumi Armada to FLNG projects,” the brokerage wrote in a report yesterday.

“The group has developed the barge-based liquefaction unit for a standardised LNG design capacity based on a modularised and repeatable compact design. In other words, if executed without flaw, the solution would be cheaper for client as a floating-liquefaction solution would be more flexible compared to the current onshore solution,” the research house added.

Kenanga Research maintained its “outperform” call on Bumi Armada, with an unchanged sum-of-parts target price of 62 sen.

The brokerage said it liked Bumi Armada due to the sustained traction in the group’s efforts to deleverage its balance sheet, which has a current net gearing of 0.8 times; its long-term earnings visibility from its substantial order book in excess of RM20bil; and the position of the company as a leading contender for a US$1bil engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning contract for floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel Cameia.

Meanwhile, Kenanga Research noted the forced shutdown of FPSO Kraken would likely hit Bumi Armada’s earnings for the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2023. The asset, it said, had been running at full steam since August 2023 as its transformer had been successfully reconditioned and redundancy had been secured in September 2023 with a fourth new transformer installed on the FPSO.

“Our forecasts assume a partial loss of bareboat charter income from Kraken in June-August 2023. This resulted in a benign 9% impact from the shutdown,” Kenanga Research said.

It added that Bumi Armada’s securing a syndicated term-loan facility worth US$105.5mil, with final maturity on Sept 25, 2023, to refinance its existing facility (maturing in May 2024) would reduce concern on its current gearing level.

https://www.hellenicshippingnews.com/bumi-armada-well-positioned-for-gas-jobs-globally/

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His goal is to establish seven regional hydrogen hubs to help replace fossil fuels such as coal and oil with cleaner-burning hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity

Biden is expected to make the official announcement during an economic-themed visit to Philadelphia on Friday.

The White House calls clean hydrogen “essential to achieving the president’s vision of a strong clean energy economy” and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. by 2050.

“As a clean fuel, hydrogen complements the role played by other clean energy sources, like wind and solar, to help the U.S. reduce emissions in energy-intensive sectors of the economy: steel and cement production, heavy-duty transportation, and shipping,” the White House said in a statement.

The seven hubs, which include projects in 16 states, will spur more than $40 billion in private investment and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, the White House said, including many high-paying union jobs.

There were 23 finalists for the hydrogen fuel program. The projects selected are based in California, Washington, Minnesota, Texas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Illinois. All but the California and Texas hubs include projects in multiple states. Pennsylvania has projects in two separate hubs.

The infrastructure law Biden signed in 2021 included billions of dollars to develop so-called clean hydrogen, a technology that industry and clean-energy advocates have long pushed as a way to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions produced by fossil fuels.

Some environmentalists call hydrogen a false solution because it frequently relies on natural gas or other fossil fuels as feedstocks.

Energy companies say fossil fuels can serve as feedstocks if the projects capture the carbon dioxide produced and keep it out of the atmosphere, a technology that has yet to be produced at commercial scale.

States and businesses have been competing for federal dollars in the new Energy Department program, which will create regional networks of hydrogen producers, consumers and infrastructure. The intent is to accelerate the availability and use of the colorless, odorless gas that already powers some vehicles and trains.

Among those selected were the Appalachian Regional Clean Hydrogen Hub, based in West Virginia, and the Philadelphia-based Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub. Pennsylvania, a battleground state of the highest importance to the Democratic president in next year’s election, is in line to benefit from both projects.

Biden has made Philadelphia a regular stop for both official and campaign events, and partners in the proposed Philadelphia-area hub have labor unions that are key Biden supporters. The West Virginia-based hub includes major Pittsburgh-based natural gas companies that are active in the region’s prolific Marcellus Shale reservoir, including the parent company of the operator of the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia and Virginia.

Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat who muscled approval of the $6.6 billion pipeline through Congress in an unusual agreement with the White House this year, hailed the Appalachian hub.”This means West Virginia will be the new epicenter of hydrogen in the United States of America,” he said of the hub, which will receive up to $925 million in federal spending. “West Virginia will be on the leading edge of building out the new hydrogen market while bringing good-paying jobs and new economic opportunity to the state.”The Appalachian hub will extend to Ohio and includes a $1.6 billion facility under construction in northern Pennsylvania that is working to produce near-zero emissions hydrogen from natural gas.”This is a big, big deal for … Appalachia in particular, because these facilities are all based in areas where coal was king,” said Perry Babb, president of KeyState, an owner and developer of the Pennsylvania site.

Partners in the Appalachian hub say it could produce hydrogen from methane using heat, steam and pressure while capturing the carbon dioxide it would generate.

The Mid-Atlantic hub, which includes New Jersey and Delaware, will receive $750 million and will make hydrogen through electrolysis – splitting water molecules using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power, as well as nuclear power.

The two largest projects are in California and Texas and will each receive up to $1.2 billon.

The Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems in California will produce hydrogen from renewable energy and biomass. The project is intended to provide a blueprint for decarbonizing public transportation, heavy duty trucking and port operations – key emissions drivers in the state and major sources of air pollution.

The Gulf Coast Hydrogen Hub will be centered in Houston, long the energy capital of the U.S., and plans large-scale hydrogen production from both natural gas and renewables.

The Minnesota-based Heartland hub, which includes projects in North and South Dakota, will receive $925 million as it seeks to decarbonize fertilizer used in agriculture and advance use of clean hydrogen in electric generation and for cold climate space heating. It also plans to offer equity ownership to tribal communities and local farmers.

The Midwest hub in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan will receive up to $1 billion and will use hydrogen in steel and glass production, power generation, heavy-duty transportation and sustainable aviation fuel. The hub plans to use renewable energy, natural gas and nuclear energy.

The Pacific Northwest hub, based in eastern Washington, will extend to Oregon and Montana and will use hydropower and other renewable resources to produce clean hydrogen.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., called the $1 billion hub “great news for the Pacific Northwest,” adding that it will create thousands of jobs and “make sure that Washington plays a leading role in growing the green hydrogen economy.

”Nearly every state had joined at least one proposed hub, and many have been working together, hoping to reap the economic development and thousands of jobs they would bring. Big fossil fuel companies, renewable energy developers and researchers in university and government labs are involved, too.Environmental groups are skeptical, arguing that while hydrogen is a clean-burning source of power, it takes a great deal of energy to produce. When it’s made with electricity from coal or natural gas, it has a bigger carbon footprint than simply burning the source fuel.”Hydrogen is another bait-and-switch from an administration that continues to break its promises to aggressively tackle climate change and help communities achieve a just, equitable transition to renewable energy,” said Silas Grant, a campaigner with the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity.

https://energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/renewable/biden-awards-7-billion-for-clean-hydrogen-hubs-across-the-country-to-help-replace-fossil-fuels/104436280

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