Japan and India Launch CBG Initiative for Clean Energy from Cattle Dung
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, on Thursday, announced the launch of the Japan-India Compressed Biogas (CBG) Initiative during her three-day official visit to India. Addressing the India-Japan Joint Economic Forum in New Delhi, Takaichi stated that she and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to jointly promote clean energy production from cattle dung and other agricultural biomass through cooperative institutions.
The initiative aims to harness India's vast and largely underutilized rural biomass resources, including cattle dung, rice straw, sugarcane residue, and other agricultural waste, to produce compressed biogas (CBG). Takaichi emphasized that this reflects the shared commitment of both countries to promote sustainable energy solutions, strengthen rural economies, and deepen bilateral cooperation in the clean energy sector.
Vision for Rural Development and Energy Security
“My attention has been drawn to the vast biomass resources available in India's rural areas that remain largely underutilised. These include cattle dung, rice straw, sugarcane residue, and other agricultural biomass. In fact, this is not a new idea. For many years, Prime Minister Modi has promoted a vision of converting rural resources into energy by harnessing the strength of cooperative institutions. I firmly believe that this vision holds the key to opening a new future for both rural development and energy security in India,” Takaichi said.
“Based on this shared vision, Prime Minister Modi and I agreed to launch a new project, the Japan-India CBG Initiative, which will utilise cooperative institutions to generate energy from cattle dung and other biomass resources in the form of compressed biogas (CBG),” she added.
Targets: 1,000 Biogas Plants and 2.5 Million CNG Vehicles by 2030
The Japanese Prime Minister announced that the initiative aims to establish as many as 1,000 biogas plants across India by 2030, contributing to India's clean energy and rural development goals. Furthermore, through a Letter of Intent signed following their meeting, India and Japan will work towards creating a market of approximately 2.5 million CNG vehicles powered by compressed biogas produced under the initiative.
“This initiative aims to establish as many as 1,000 biogas plants across India by 2030, contributing to India's goals. Moreover, through the letter of intent signed today, we shall jointly create a market of approximately 2.5 million CNG vehicles powered by this biogas,” she stated.
Bilateral Ties and Annual Summit
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attended the India-Japan Joint Economic Forum in New Delhi, where they also visited an exhibition showcasing bilateral economic and technological cooperation. Takaichi is on a three-day official visit to India from July 1 to 3 at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi. During the visit, she participated in the 16th India-Japan Annual Summit, where both leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and discussed regional and global issues of mutual interest.
India and Japan share a long-standing friendship rooted in centuries of cultural and civilisational exchange, spiritual affinity, and shared values of freedom, democracy, and respect for the rule of law.
