{"id":139750,"date":"2026-05-03T19:03:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-03T19:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/india-turns-to-biogas-as-iran-war-fuels-cooking-gas-shortages\/"},"modified":"2026-05-03T19:03:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-03T19:03:21","slug":"india-turns-to-biogas-as-iran-war-fuels-cooking-gas-shortages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/india-turns-to-biogas-as-iran-war-fuels-cooking-gas-shortages\/","title":{"rendered":"India turns to biogas as Iran war fuels cooking gas shortages"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 3 \u2013 Across much of India, an energy crunch linked to the Iran war has triggered long queues for cooking gas cylinders, forcing many households to seek alternatives.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Uttar Pradesh\u2019s Bulandshahr district, 25-year-old Gauri Devi is among those turning to biogas produced from cow dung to meet daily cooking needs.<\/p>\n

In her courtyard kitchen in Nekpur village, about 90 kilometres from New Delhi, she prepares meals on a stove fuelled by methane generated from farm waste.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt cooks everything,\u201d she said. \u201cIf the pressure goes down, we let it rest for half an hour and it works again.\u201d<\/p>\n

India consumes more than 30 million tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) annually, importing over half its supply. While the government maintains there is no shortage, supply delays, panic buying and black market activity have led to long queues in many areas.<\/p>\n

Residents in parts of Uttar Pradesh have been seen lining up with empty cylinders for refilling, highlighting the strain on supply chains.<\/p>\n

Biogas, however, has long been promoted in India as a low-cost rural energy source. Since the 1980s, the government has subsidised more than five million small-scale \u201cdigester\u201d units that convert organic waste into methane for cooking and nutrient-rich slurry for fertiliser.<\/p>\n

For Gauri, the system involves mixing cow dung with water and feeding it into an underground tank, producing a steady supply of gas piped directly to her kitchen. She now relies on LPG only for emergencies or large gatherings.<\/p>\n

The by-product slurry is used on farms, offering improved nitrogen content compared to raw manure.<\/p>\n

Farmer Pramod Singh, who installed a larger unit in 2025, said the fertiliser has become increasingly valuable as global supplies of artificial fertilisers face disruption due to the conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real benefit is not just the gas \u2014 that is like a bonus,\u201d said local farmer leader Pritam Singh. \u201cThe slurry is \u2018black gold\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

With more than 45 per cent of India\u2019s 1.4 billion population reliant on agriculture and one of the world\u2019s largest cattle populations, biogas presents a viable alternative energy source.<\/p>\n

India, the world\u2019s most populous nation and third-largest fossil fuel polluter, is also pushing large-scale biogas production as part of its target to achieve carbon neutrality by 2070.<\/p>\n

The government has set a goal for biogas to account for at least one per cent of liquid gas used in transport and households, rising to five per cent by 2028, with dozens of large-scale plants in development.<\/p>\n

At the same time, smaller rural units continue to expand, with installation costs ranging between INR25,000 and 30,000 ($265\u2013$318), often heavily subsidised.<\/p>\n

Interest has grown sharply amid the current LPG shortages.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who earlier were not interested now ask how to get it,\u201d Pritam Singh said. \u201cOnce they see food being cooked and crops benefiting, they are convinced.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, experts say adoption remains limited. A.R. Shukla, president of the Indian Biogas Association, noted that such systems require consistent maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiogas plants are not just equipment; they are mini factories,\u201d he said, adding that community or cooperative management models may be needed to scale adoption.<\/p>\n

For many, access remains out of reach. Labourer Ramesh Kumar Singh said land constraints prevent some households from installing the systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work on other people\u2019s farms the whole day. We don\u2019t have land for it,\u201d he said while queuing for LPG in Madalpur village.<\/p>\n

Others continue to endure long waits. \u201cI am standing in scorching heat, hungry and thirsty,\u201d said 77-year-old Mahendri, who had failed to secure a gas cylinder for three consecutive days.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 3 \u2013 Across much of India, an energy crunch linked to the Iran war has triggered long queues for cooking gas cylinders, forcing many households to seek alternatives. In Uttar Pradesh\u2019s Bulandshahr district, 25-year-old Gauri Devi is among those turning to biogas produced from cow dung to meet daily cooking needs. In her courtyard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139750"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139750\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}