Suzuki Motor Corporation and Maruti Suzuki India are advancing 11 new biogas plants in India based on cow dung and agricultural waste, as the companies seek to expand compressed biogas (CBG) as a sustainable fuel for the country’s transport sector.
Key Takeaways
- Suzuki Motor Corporation currently operates 3 cow-dung-based biogas plants in India and is developing 7 more.
- Maruti Suzuki India is developing 4 agricultural-waste-based biogas plants.
- India and Japan have agreed to scale up biogas production through 1,000 plants in India.
- The combined share of EVs, hybrids and CNG models reached 32% of India’s passenger vehicle sales during April-July FY27, up from about 27% a year earlier.
The Context
Suzuki Motor Corporation, the Japanese parent of Maruti Suzuki India, currently operates three cow-dung-based biogas plants in India and is working on seven additional facilities. Separately, Maruti Suzuki India is developing four plants designed to use agricultural waste as feedstock.
The companies’ expansion comes as India looks to increase the use of alternative fuels while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. CBG can also provide a pathway for converting cattle dung and agricultural residues into transport fuel.
Speaking at the 66th Annual Convention of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO Hisashi Takeuchi said India has substantial potential to produce biogas from cattle dung, biomass and agricultural waste.
The wider policy push is backed by both India and Japan. During the recent India-Japan Annual Summit, the two countries’ prime ministers agreed to scale up biogas production by setting up 1,000 plants in India.
Industry Insight
Speaking on CBG’s potential, Takeuchi said the fuel is carbon-negative and can help reduce stubble burning, with potential benefits for air quality.
He also linked CBG to India’s energy-security and rural-development objectives, saying it could reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels while creating income and employment opportunities in rural areas.
Takeuchi described CBG as an increasingly important enabler of the CNG ecosystem because it addresses multiple national priorities and has potential for large-scale deployment.
“This would make CNG a preferred sustainable mobility solution for many more decades,” he said.
Takeuchi also said, “Every third car sold in India today is a clean technology,” referring to the rising combined share of EVs, hybrids and CNG vehicles in passenger-vehicle sales.
Bioenergy Business Analysis
The 11-plant pipeline gives Suzuki and Maruti Suzuki a larger role in India’s emerging CBG supply chain, particularly by linking transport-fuel demand with cattle dung and agricultural residues. The significance extends beyond vehicle fuel: if scaled, the model could simultaneously address agricultural-waste disposal, rural economic activity and fossil-fuel import dependence. The companies’ plans also fit within the broader India-Japan target of 1,000 biogas plants, making CBG an increasingly relevant component of India’s multi-technology mobility strategy.
Read also: Small Biogas installations in Maharashtra drop to 4,581 units as costs and feedstock deficits mount
