By Ayesha Saba ISLAMABAD, March 28 (INP-WealthPK): The government is required to develop an integrated policy framework to make use of biogas to put an end to energy shortfalls, minmise reliance on imported fuels and realise its commitment towards producing greener sources of energy. Biogas can help in many ways, generating electricity, gas and bio-fertiliser, thus helping preserve environment. As per the annual state of the industry report 2021 by National Electric Power Regulatory Authority, the installed capacity of bio-energy/biogas power plants connected with the National Transmission and Dispatch Company’s system as of June 30, 2021 was only 369MW. The total electricity generation of these power plants during the fiscal year 2020-21 remained 710.56GWh as compared to 564.46GWh during last year, according to WealthPK. Syed Akhtar Ali, a former member of energy, Planning Commission, and eminent energy expert, told WealthPK that biogas could have a multi-dimensional impact on rural and agricultural development and foreign exchange savings. “Biogas has emerged from the ‘small is beautiful’ syndrome and plays a significant role in renewable energy, where it can be utilised in electricity generation mostly in co-generation mode producing heat and power and bio-methane. “In Pakistan, biogas has been ignored and underestimated as only a few thousand household plants have been installed compared to 931,000 and 43 million installed in India and China, respectively. In the next five years, India wants to build 5,000 bio-CNG units,” Akhtar Ali said. “Currently, the NRSP (National Rural Support Programme) and other NGOs are engaged in a support programme to promote biogas in Pakistan by helping the households install biogas plants in rural areas. Farmers have installed small biogas plants to generate electricity and power tubewells,” said the energy expert. Akhtar Ali further added that biogas had the potential to initiate a cycle of economic activity without foreign investments. “It will bring together local investors and communities to create jobs while also cleaning up the environment. However, the government of Pakistan is required to develop an integrated policy framework in this regard.” Meanwhile, talking to WealthPK, Dr Shafqutullah, an economic expert and lecturer at the National University of Modern Languages, said, “The rural economy has many times more potential energy sources (like solar, wind and biogas) than the urban economy.” “Pakistan has a huge population of livestock but with low biogas production. The growth rate of the livestock sector is about 3.06%. While the growth rate of cattle and buffalos is 3.4%. Dung of these animals is the raw material for biogas. Dung from livestock can produce approximately 36-million-kilowatt electricity in a day,” said Shafqutullah. He also highlighted that in the current global scenario, where each country was searching for sustainable sources of energy, Pakistan can also tap the renewable energy resources. “Biogas is the most neglected sector in Pakistan. Both the public and private sectors should join hands to promote electricity generation through biogas. “The government should facilitate the private sector to invest in this unexplored area of energy.”