Biomass Market in India 2011

Biomass market in India is growing steadily as new initiatives are being taken and investments start flowing in. Additionally, the government is giving various incentives and subsidies to promote the usage of biomass power. These measures can go a long way if the gap in demand and supply needs to be bridged and India has to attain energy security.

The report begins with an introduction section where the break-up of the energy mix has been highlighted and also the estimated capacity addition in the 12th five year plan in renewable energy sector. It also highlights the major technologies employed by the biomass sector. The overview section shows the potential of the biomass sector and estimated growth of biomass over the years. Furthermore, the market overview section explains the capacity additions which have taken place in last few years and the top 5 states in India in terms of installed capacity of biomass power. The market overview section also focuses on the investment pattern of private vs. state government in biomass sector. The various resources used to create biomass have been covered and include the biomass resources in India.

The major driver identified is depleting coal reserves. Due to the depletion of the finite natural source of energy, coal, players are looking at an alternate source of energy. India remains power deficient in peak demand conditions so this gap can be filled by the rising capacity additions through biomass power. It has been found out that setting up a biomass plant needs less capital investment compared to other forms of renewable energy. Other important drivers identified include the major investments that have taken place in this sector in the recent past. Companies in the food processing sector have also ventured into biomass power generation business. Many PE investors have picked up stakes in biomass power generating companies. Shifting from technologies which are less efficient to technologies which are more efficient so that in the long run the cost of electricity/unit is likely to reduce is among the drivers identified. The challenges identified are that the cost of electricity generated through biomass power plants is still more than coal fired plants. Also non-availability of raw materials is a major hurdle for the manufacturers and increasing cost of raw materials are responsible for the margins getting squeezed.

In the government initiatives section various fiscal incentives doled out by the government to the manufacturers in order to promote biomass power in India are highlighted. Government regulations and policies in this space are discussed.

The competition section includes brief profiles of the major players in the market along with their financials towards providing an insight into the operations of players in the space.. Strategic recommendations for this market have also been provided in the report.