India-US collaborate to develop clean energy from methane

Washington, Mar 18: India and the United States are working together to develop clean energy sources that can yield substantial economic, environmental and health benefits.

The U S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) are partnering with stakeholders from India's solid waste industry, finance community, and national government to capture and reuse landfill methane gas under EPA's Methane to Markets Partnership.

''President George W Bush and EPA are delivering global environmental results through innovative international collaborations,'' EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said in a release here yesterday.

''We are excited to work with India and share our experiences in turning landfill trash into environmental and economic treasures'' he said.

Methane emissions in India are projected to increase significantly over the next 15 years. At present it is the third largest methane emitting counry in the world. Reusing landfill methane gas for energy purposes has the potential to mitigate 5.5 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is equal to the annual emissions from one million vehicles.

Currently, there are no operational landfill gas-to-energy projects in India but several large sites in Delhi, Mumbai and other cities arej capable of supporating clean energy projects.

EPA will collaborate with India to advance project development through technical assistance, technology transfer opportunities, pre-feasibility studies, and demonstration projects. The programme will help promote clean energy, energy security, improved public health, and economic opportunities, ''the release added.

In addition to India, other countries participating in Methane to Markets include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.

The projects support the Asia-Pacific Partnership on clean development and climate, of which India and the United States are members.

UNI