Bioenergy will be cornerstone of India’s sustainable future, says Minister Shripad Naik

The 5th International Conference on Recent Advances in Bio-Energy Research (ICRABR-2025) commenced on October 6 at the Sardar Swaran Singh National Institute of Bio-Energy (SSS-NIBE), Kapurthala — an autonomous institution under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India.

The four-day conference is serving as a premier platform for researchers, industry leaders and policymakers to discuss recent advancements and future directions in the bioenergy sector.

Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy and Power, Shripad Naik, attended the inaugural session as the Chief Guest. During the event, he unveiled the new logo of SSS-NIBE, symbolising the institute’s renewed commitment to innovation, sustainability and clean energy transition.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between IIT Ropar and SSS-NIBE to facilitate collaborative research and activities in the field of biomass and bioenergy.

The event also saw the virtual participation of Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Power, while Prof Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, was present as Guest of Honour.

In his address, Minister Shripad Naik emphasised the importance of bioenergy in the country with its strong availability potential of 228 MT surplus crop residues, 62 MMT of MSW and significantly large livestock manure having total power potential of 40 GW and stressed on ministry's commitment to making bioenergy a cornerstone of India's sustainable future.