SATAT & GOBARdhan — Policies Powering India's Green Gas Future

India's Bio-CNG expansion owes much of its momentum to two landmark government programs — SATAT (Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation) and GOBARdhan (Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan).

Launched in 2018, SATAT is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Its goal is to promote compressed biogas (CBG) production by enabling private entrepreneurs to set up CBG plants and supply gas to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) under long-term offtake agreements.

The scheme envisions 5,000 Bio-CNG plants producing 15 MMT of CBG per annum, equivalent to replacing over 30% of India's imported natural gas. SATAT also facilitates the blending of CBG with existing CNG networks, strengthening India's clean fuel infrastructure.

GOBARdhan, under the Swachh Bharat Mission, complements SATAT by supporting decentralized waste management and community biogas initiatives. It focuses on converting organic waste — cattle dung, agricultural residues, and food waste — into energy and organic fertilizers. The scheme promotes rural entrepreneurship by creating waste-to-wealth value chains.

Together, SATAT and GOBARdhan form the backbone of India's waste-to-energy transition, empowering both urban and rural sectors. Their combined framework encourages public-private partnerships, capital subsidies, and viability gap funding, which make Bio-CNG projects more financially viable.

Hastus Energy aligns its execution model with these policy frameworks — ensuring bankable project structures, land and feedstock validation, and long-term revenue streams that meet SATAT's compliance standards.

These programs have positioned India as a leader in renewable gas policy, setting an example for emerging economies.