Daily News Wrap-Up: UPNEDA Invites Bids to Set Up 110 MW Solar Projects

Funding and M&A Roundup: Exowatt Closes $70 Million Series A Funding

Project Finance Brief: Zelestra Secures $113 Million for 81 MW Solar Project

Tata Power-D Invites Bids for 250 MW Renewable Energy with Storage

SECI Invites Bids for 260 MW Module Supply for Project in Madhya Pradesh

Government Issues Green Hydrogen Certification Program

ALTÉRRA to Invest $100 Million in Evren

Uttar Pradesh Tenders 110 MW Projects in Two Solar Parks

REC Raises ₹50 Billion Through Five and Ten-Year Bonds

Military Engineer Services Invites Bids for 1.1 MW Rooftop Solar Systems


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					</table><p>The <a href="https://mp.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Madhya Pradesh</a> government has issued an incentive program to implement biofuel projects with investments above ₹100 million (~$1.17 million) through its ‘Scheme for Implementation of Biofuel Projects in Madhya Pradesh’ program.</p>
<p>The program covers all aspects of biofuel production, including feedstock cultivation, prediction technologies, distribution, and utilization.</p>
<p>The program targets developing bio-refinery clusters and infrastructure for biomass, waste collection, and storage and transportation. It will also establish biofuel dispensing outlets across urban and rural areas.</p>
<p>Additionally, the program aims to support research, development, and innovation in biofuel technologies.</p>
<p>The Commissioner of the New and Renewable Energy Department will register the biofuel unit, with only one bio-energy project allowed to be registered in a block area.</p>
<p>Biofuel manufacturing and biomass supply chain units investing over ₹100 million (~$1.17 million) will be eligible for the incentives.</p>
<p>However, the ₹100 million (~$1.17 million) limit will not apply to biomass briquette/pellet manufacturing plants, biomass-based steam generation units, power and cogeneration projects, biomass supply chain companies, and conversion of existing sewage treatment projects to biofuel projects.</p>
<p><strong>Incentives</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Developers can avail of basic investment promotion assistance for each project for up to ₹2 billion (~$23.48 million). The incentive will be disbursed in seven equal installments</li>
<li>Developers can avail 50% assistance of up to ₹50 million (~$587,020) for developing infrastructure if they acquire private land or get undeveloped government land</li>
<li>Developers can avail 50% assistance of up to ₹50 million (~$587,020) for developing waste management systems and up to ₹100 million (~$1.17 million) for developing effluent treatment plants. This assistance will be disbursed in two equal installments</li>
<li>Developers can avail 100% reimbursement on expenses for filing patents, copyrights, trademarks, and geographical indications of up to ₹1 million (~$11,740)/kWh for the first five years</li>
<li>Developers will receive 50% reimbursement of quality certification cost or ₹100,000 (~$1,174) , whichever is lower</li>
<li>Developers will receive a 100% electricity duty exemption for ten years</li>
<li>Developers will be exempted from paying energy development cess for ten years</li>
<li>Developers will be exempted from paying cross-subsidy surcharge and/or additional surcharge for ten years</li>
<li>Developers will receive a 50% reimbursement on stamp duty on the purchase of private land for the project</li>
<li>Mega industrial units with investments above ₹5 billion (~$58.7 million) can avail of customized incentives</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Incentives on Project Land</strong></p>
<p>Revenue land will be provided at 50% of the circle rate for establishing and operating bioenergy projects and machinery.</p>
<p>The program has stipulated different minimum land requirements for only the following projects:</p>
<p>A compressed biogas project of ten-ton capacity must have at least ten acres of land, a bio-coal/briquette plant must have 0.02 acres for every ton per day of plant capacity, and a biodiesel project must have 0.015 acres/kL/day of capacity.</p>
<p>The state’s animal husbandry department will facilitate land for animal shelters. It will also ensure cow dung availability in state animal shelters. The state will also develop a mechanism to transfer cow dung from gaushalas and waste from state agricultural produce markets to compressed biogas projects.</p>
<p>To avail of incentives, developers must use technologies approved by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy or under the National Biofuels Policy 2018.</p>
<p>The state agriculture department will mandate the sale and purchase of bio-manure from bio-CNG projects at all licensed fertilizer shops.</p>
<p>In July 2024, the MNRE <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-revises-cfa-rate-for-biomass-pellet-manufacturing-units" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revised</a> the Central Financial Assistance rates for biomass pellet manufacturing units under the National Bioenergy Program.</p>
<p>In February 2025, the government <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/madhya-pradesh-targets-meeting-50-of-power-needs-from-renewables-by-2030" target="_blank" rel="noopener">set</a> a target of 50% of annual power consumption from renewable energy resources by 2030 under the Madhya Pradesh Renewable Energy Policy 2025.</p>
<p>Subscribe to Mercom’s real-time <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/mercoms-renewable-energy-regulatory-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Regulatory Updates</a> to ensure you don’t miss any critical updates from the renewable industry.</p>


Madhya Pradesh Issues Incentives for Biofuel Projects Above ₹100 Million


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					</table><p>Noida-based sustainable biogas solutions company <a href="https://grunerrenewable.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gruner Renewable Energy</a> has secured funding of $60 million to establish new Compressed biogas (CBG) plants across the country.</p>
<p>Gruner is also setting up one of Asia&#8217;s largest CBG plants in Navsari, Gujarat.</p>
<p>The company plans to allocate a bigger portion of the funding to advancing research and development, focusing on increasing energy efficiency and biogas production accuracy.</p>
<p>Gruner also plans to explore new business verticals such as sustainable aviation fuel and green hydrogen and scaling up CNG retail outlets.</p>
<p>In April 2024, Gruner secured projects worth ₹15 billion (~$ 179.14 million) to set up CBG plants with a total production capacity of 88,000 tons of CBG per year. The projects are proposed to be set up in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, Satna in Madhya Pradesh, Balasore in Odisha, Navsari in Gujarat, Yavatmal in Maharashtra, and Vijayawada and Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, among others.</p>
<p>Utkarsh Gupta, Founder &amp; CEO, Gruner Renewable Energy, said, &#8220;By promoting clean energy production and reducing dependence on imported compressed natural gas (CNG), we contribute significantly to India&#8217;s vision of energy independence.&#8221;</p>
<p>In 2023, the Petroleum Ministry <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/government-mandates-biogas-in-cng-and-png" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the phased blending of CBG in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for the transport sector and Piped Natural Gas(PNG) for domestic use.</p>
<p>The CBG Blending Obligation (CBO) aims to promote circular economy principles and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The CBO will be implemented in phases, with voluntary participation until the fiscal year FY 2024-2025, followed by mandatory blending obligations from FY 2025-26.</p>
<p>In the Union Budget 2023-2024, the Indian government <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/gobardhan-biogas-plants-registered-nationally" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided</a> to establish 500 new waste-to-wealth plants under the Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBARdhan) initiative. Within 60 days of its introduction in June 2023, the GOBARdhan initiative garnered registrations for over 1200 plants.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-small-biogas-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invited</a> proposals for innovative and new design or material-based small biogas projects with a daily generation capacity of 1 to 25 cubic meters. It has sought changes to existing designs for simple, efficient, cost-effective village-level biogas usage.</p>


Gruner Renewable Energy Secures 60 Million to Set Up CBG plants


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					</table><p>Natural gas company <a href="https://www.gailonline.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GAIL (India)</a> and ethanol producer <a href="https://www.trualtbioenergy.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TruAlt Bioenergy</a> have announced an investment of $72 million to set up Compressed BioGas (CBG) plants through a joint venture.</p>
<p>The term sheet signed by the two would ensure GAIL’s participation in TruAlt’s joint venture company, <a href="https://leafiniti.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Leafiniti Bioenergy,</a> the owner and operator of one of the country’s biggest CBG plants.</p>
<p>TruAlt&#8217;s and GAIL’s shareholding in the venture will be 51% and 49%, respectively. The investment, which will be funded through a combination of debt and equity, will be subject to requisite approvals.</p>
<p>“CBG has emerged as a viable alternative to imported fossil natural gas. The signing of the term sheet is a step in the right direction considering the emphasis on cleaner and greener fuel,” said Rajeev Kumar Singhal, GAIL’s Director of business development.</p>
<p>In 2021, the company <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/gail-expands-renewables-portfolio" target="_blank" rel="noopener">began</a> its foray into ethanol and hydrogen generation during a bid to expand its renewables portfolio.</p>
<p>The joint venture is expected to annually process nearly 600 million kg of organic waste in the form of agricultural residue, sugarcane press mud, spent waste that is generated during ethanol production, and other decomposable waste to produce 33 kg of CBG.  It will also produce 20 kg of Solid Fermented Organic Manure (SOFM) and 30 kg of Liquid Fermented Organic Manure.</p>
<p>With each unit producing 100,000 kg of CBG daily, the companies expect the joint venture to create a robust ecosystem for the production of CBG from diverse waste and biomass sources.</p>
<p>“We have been spearheading the production of ethanol and various biofuels since 2012 to advocate for more sustainable energy practices. TruAlt Bioenergy has emerged as one of the largest contributors to India’s Ethanol Blended Program (EBP). Through this partnership, we aim to create a robust ecosystem for CBG in India, allowing for a smooth transition to economical and ecological sources of energy,” said Vijay Narahari, Founder and Managing Director.</p>
<p>Last year, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/mnre-targets-over-15000-phase-ii-of-biogas-program-for-fy24" target="_blank" rel="noopener">allotted</a> physical targets to the biogas program implementing agencies (PIAs) for establishing small biogas projects under the Biogas Program Phase II for the fiscal year 2023-24.</p>


GAIL and TruAlt Announce $72 Million Compressed Biogas Joint Venture


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					</table><p>Punjab Electricity Development Agency (<a href="https://www.peda.gov.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PEDA</a>) has invited bids to develop a green hydrogen and compressed biogas project based on cattle dung, vegetable, ‘mandi’ waste, poultry droppings, municipal segregated green waste, agro waste, and other organic waste on a build, own, and operate basis at the Haibowal Dairy complex in Ludhiana.</p>
<p>The last date to submit the bids online is October 4, 2023. Bids will be opened on October 6.</p>
<p>Bidders must submit ₹500,000 (~$6,029) as an earnest money deposit. The successful bidder must furnish ₹1 million (~$12,057) as a performance bank guarantee.</p>
<p>The successful developer should commission the project within 24 months from the implementation agreement’s signing.</p>
<p>The successful developer must pay for the land lease at ₹150,000 (~$1,809) per annum plus applicable taxes for the site to PEDA.</p>
<p>The successful developer will have to arrange the raw materials for the project from the dairy owners of the Haibowal Dairy complex or other sources at its own cost.</p>
<p>Bidders are free to use any technology for green hydrogen and compressed biogas production and do not require any technical experience to participate in the bidding process.</p>
<p>They must be capable of making necessary tie-ups with the technology providers and consultants in this field to implement the project with their financial strength.</p>
<p>The net worth of bidders should be at least ₹50 million (~$602,865) in any one of the last three financial years.</p>
<p>The project must handle about 250 metric tons of cattle dung daily. In case of any shortfall of cattle dung, the developer may arrange dung from outside, design the plant as multifuel, and use other organic waste like vegetable waste, mandi waste, poultry droppings, municipal segregated green waste, agro waste, and other organic waste as per Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) guidelines.</p>
<p>Recently, MNRE <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/carbon-emission-thresholds-for-green-hydrogen-production" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a standard outlining the emission thresholds that must be met for the hydrogen produced in the country to be classified as ‘green.’ The Green Hydrogen Standard for India provides a definition of green hydrogen or hydrogen produced using renewable sources through electrolysis-based and biomass-based production methods.</p>
<p>Subscribe to Mercom’s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker</a> to stay on top of real-time tender activity.</p>


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