Bioenergy will be a cornerstone of India’s sustainable future, says 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 (October 6–9) 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 expressed his pleasure to join the International conference ICRABR 2025 at SSS-NIBE.

He 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.

He also outlined key Government of India schemes in the bioenergy sector, including the National Bioenergy Programme, SATAT, SAMARTH Mission, and Gobardhan, noting that the country has already achieved the 20% ethanol blending target, years ahead of schedule.

Secretary MNRE, Santosh Kumar Sarangi, in his virtual address, underscored the importance of bioenergy, particularly for an agriculture-driven economy like India. Prof Rajeev Ahuja, Director, IIT Ropar, emphasised the significance of interdisciplinary collaboration, industry-academia partnerships and scientific innovation in developing sustainable bio-based solutions.

He noted that the bio economy should remain central to India’s decarbonisation strategy and spoke about the role of biomass in supporting a hydrogen-based green energy transition.

Dr G Sridhar, Director General, SSS-NIBE, welcomed the dignitaries and participants and outlined the conference’s agenda. He also highlighted the institute’s ongoing initiatives in biogas, bio-CNG, bio hydrogen, biochar and bio refinery research, affirming that ICRABR-2025 aims to accelerate dialogue and action for a cleaner, self-reliant energy future.

The inaugural session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Anil Kumar Sarma, Co-Chair of ICRABR-2025, who expressed gratitude to the Minister of State, the Guest of Honours, delegates, participants and sponsors for their presence and support.