Pioneering India’s Early Waste-to-Energy Journey

With a clear vision to deliver a sustainable waste-to-energy solution for one of India’s leading cooperative sugar factories, Kisaan Veer Sahakari Sakhar Karkhana (SSK), Bhuinj, Green Elephant began its journey in India’s renewable energy sector in 2010.

The project was conceived to address the environmental challenges associated with spent wash disposal while unlocking energy and resource value from industrial waste streams. In collaboration with Kisaan Veer SSK, Green Elephant successfully established a large-scale spent wash–based biogas project, recycling approximately 600 m³ of spent wash per day into clean biogas and nutrient-rich liquid fertiliser.

The biogas plant was commissioned in 2011, achieving a biogas generation capacity of approximately 28,000 Nm³ per day. A portion of this biogas was utilised directly in the sugar factory’s boilers, significantly replacing coal consumption and reducing fossil fuel dependency.

Building on this success, Green Elephant took a pioneering step by commissioning one of India’s earliest and largest biogas upgradation plants during 2012–13. This facility enabled the conversion of biogas into 11,000 Nm³ per day of high-quality Compressed Biogas (CBG)—marking a major milestone in India’s renewable gas landscape and positioning Green Elephant as a first mover in commercial-scale biogas upgrading.

Beyond energy generation, the project delivered substantial environmental benefits, earning more than 50,000 carbon credits, while demonstrating the technical and economic viability of large-scale industrial waste-to-energy solutions.

This landmark project laid the foundation for Green Elephant’s long-standing expertise in biogas biology, gas upgrading, and integrated waste-to-energy systems—expertise that continues to shape the company’s leadership in CBG and renewable gas projects today.