Residents of Thamna village in Anand have set up a plant that produces natural gas. Thamna Bio-Power and Organic Producers Company Ltd, owned by 700 farmers of Thamna, produces enough gas to run a 15 horse-power three-phase pump to supply irrigation water. But they are dreaming big. By February, they want to produce 1,000 cubic metres of natural gas daily and sell to its farmers and locals at a cheaper rate!
The Rs 1.75-crore bio-power plant, which will use 150 tonnes of organic waste daily to produce methane gas, will have a mini-refinery attached to convert methane into compressed natural gas (CNG). In effect they will produce 600 kg CNG daily, enough to meet a major portion of the village’s fuel needs.
“The gas will be sold in bottles which can be used in auto-rickshaws, tractors and cars and also for cooking. While the price will be fixed by the board of the company, it will be cheaper than the market rates,” said 64-yearold Chandrakant Patel, Thamna’s NRI sarpanch, who returned to the village from the US. Patel has earned laurels for facilitating 24-hour water and power supply in the village and running English medium schools. Patel says the company will take all required safety clearances before selling gas.
Landless farmers have contributed Rs 1,000 each for the company, while bigger landowners have contributed Rs 10,000 each. The company has tied up with vegetable markets in Anand, Dakor, Nadiad and Umreth to pick up their waste to run the project. Cow dung will be collected from Dakor Gowshala. “For the first time, farmers who are consumers will produce CNG and in turn ensure that their village gets rid of waste. The fuel will be sold at least 20-30% cheaper than market rate,” said technical consultant of the project Sanjay Patel.
1 comment:
Good effort!
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