The government has decided to install 100,000 new biogas plants across the country in the next three years to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and promote the use of clean energy. The project, mentioned in the government’s three-year interim plan (TYIP), will be executed by the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) with support of Biogas Sector Partnership-Nepal (BSP-N) in 67 districts. In the first year, 22,000 plants are to be installed. The government is offering a 30 per cent subsidy for each family installing biogas plant.

The project will, besides reducing people’s excessive reliance on fossil fuels for cooking and household electrification purposes, also help reduce emission of carbon dioxide considerably. This will, in turn, earn Nepal millions of rupees under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. There are already 186,000 biogas plants in the country; the potential is of 1.9 million. Existing plants registered with CDM already prevent emission of 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually — the country earning $7 for every tonne. Biogas plants provide a win-win solution to the country’s yawning energy shortfalls. They protect the environment by preventing the emission of greenhouse gases, besides lighting homes and providing fuel to cook daily meals at an affordable cost. This will mean much because fossil fuels are very expensive and in short supply, making it difficult to procure them.