In October 2018, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and several Public Sector Undertaking Oil Marketing Companies set up the SATAT scheme. These oil companies are Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

At its launch, the Ministry representative also said that the Government has and will continue to take steps to promote Compressed Biogas as a fuel as it is cheap, clean and has a high calorific value.

SATAT, or Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation, is a scheme that targets entrepreneurs to set up Compressed BioGas plants and later sell this fuel so obtained to Oil Marketing Companies as automotive or industrial fuel.

There are 4 clear-cut objectives of the SATAT scheme. They are as follows -

• Decreasing dependence on import of fuel.
• Making use of more than 62 million metric tonnes of waste generated each year in India.
• Boosting job creation in the country.
• Reducing vehicular emissions and harmful emissions from the burning of agricultural waste.

Below are the SATAT scheme details -

• Under SATAT, independent entrepreneurs will set up Compressed BioGas plants.
• They will then be able to transport the Compressed Biogas produced at their plants to fuel station networks of Oil Marketing Companies in cylinders. This fuel will be used as a green fuel alternative.
• Presently, there is a network of 1500 Compressed Natural Gas stations that service around 32 lakhs of gas-based vehicles.
• Moreover, the entrepreneurs will market and sell other by-products from the plant, such as bio-manure and carbon dioxide. Thus, they can increase their return on investment.

Following are the features of SATAT yojana:

• SATAT is a step towards a sustainable future. It is an effort that benefits vehicle users, farmers and entrepreneurs.
• It can help to track urban pollution levels by preventing the burning of stubble and carbon emissions.
• SATAT is also a scheme that reduces India’s dependency on crude oil.
• Moreover, it improves income of rural persons, the farmer and engages the spirit of entrepreneurship.
• Further, there will also be efficient disposal and treatment of municipal wastes.
• There will be a promotion of organic farming by (FOM) Fermented Organic Manure produced from these Compressed Biogas plants.

There are multiple benefits of the SATAT scheme. They are as follows -

• An additional revenue source for farmers.
• Compressed biogas acts as a buffer against crude oil/ gas prices.
• There will be no need to import gas/ oil.
• It will also be a boost to climate change commitments of India.
• It will boost entrepreneurship, employment and the rural economy.
• Lastly, there will be responsible waste management, reduction in carbon emissions and pollution.

In conclusion, the largest compressed biogas plant in India is in Hyderabad. Thus, the Indian Government plans to roll out around 5,000 compressed Biogas plants in a phased manner for the SATAT scheme.