India has one of the world's largest biomass energy potential bases — approximately 750 MT of agricultural residue produced annually (wheat straw, rice husk, sugarcane bagasse, cotton stalks, mustard stalks), plus dedicated biomass plantation potential on degraded lands. India's 700+ sugar mills collectively generate approximately 300 MT of bagasse annually, most of which is combusted in mill co-generation systems for process steam and electricity. This biogenic CO₂ stream is one of India's largest concentrated sources of carbon-neutral (and potentially carbon-negative) CO₂.
BECCS — Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage — is the combination that converts biomass energy from carbon-neutral to carbon-negative. When biomass is combusted for energy and the CO₂ is captured and stored permanently, the result is a net removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere: the biomass absorbed CO₂ from the air during growth, and that CO₂ is now permanently stored underground rather than re-emitted. The resulting negative emission credits are among the most valuable in global carbon markets.
Annual agricultural residue production in India — world's largest BECCS feedstock potential
Annual bagasse from India's 700+ sugar mills — concentrated biogenic CO₂ source
CO₂ per tonne of biogenic CO₂ permanently captured and stored — true climate benefit
Per-tonne negative emission credit price in voluntary carbon markets
Post-combustion PCC on bagasse boiler flue gas is the most immediately applicable BECCS technology for India's sugar mills. Bagasse boiler flue gas is typically 12–16% CO₂ — equivalent to coal power station flue gas in composition and amenable to standard amine capture. India's sugar mills in Maharashtra (Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur), Uttar Pradesh (western UP cane belt), Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu are all candidate BECCS locations, with varying proximity to storage options.
Agricultural residue power plants — dedicated biomass combustion using wheat straw, rice husk, and cotton stalks in Punjab, Haryana, and UP — represent a second BECCS application stream. These plants, typically 10–30 MW, require cluster aggregation for economic CCS in the same way as WtE plants. A shared CO₂ collection pipeline serving multiple biomass power plants in Punjab's rice straw power cluster could aggregate sufficient volume for economic storage connection.
Maharashtra's Kolhapur-Sangli-Solapur sugar belt — producing approximately 30 MT of sugarcane annually and hosting more than 100 sugar mills — is India's highest-priority BECCS cluster. The geographic concentration of mills creates the CO₂ aggregation potential needed for economic shared infrastructure. Maharashtra's location above the Deccan Traps provides excellent basalt mineralisation storage access — and the combination of abundant biogenic CO₂ with world-class permanent storage creates what may be the world's most geographically advantaged BECCS location outside of Iceland.
Punjab and Haryana's agricultural residue burning problem — one of India's most politically sensitive air quality issues — creates both an environmental and commercial opportunity for BECCS. Preventing agricultural residue burning while capturing the CO₂ from controlled combustion in biomass power plants simultaneously addresses air quality (no open-field burning) and generates negative emission credits. NCM is developing the policy and commercial framework for a Punjab residue BECCS programme as part of India's stubble burning elimination initiative.
NCM's biomass BECCS advisory integrates feedstock assessment (biomass availability, quality, and sustainability certification), capture technology selection (PCC on bagasse boiler or agricultural residue power flue gas), cluster aggregation design (pipeline collection from multiple distributed sources), storage pathway identification (Deccan Traps for Maharashtra; onshore saline aquifer for Punjab/UP/Haryana), and negative emission credit structuring (Verra VCS+CCB, Gold Standard, India Carbon Market, Article 6 bilateral).
The Article 6 structuring component is particularly valuable for BECCS — Japan and Australia have both expressed strong interest in India-origin negative emission credits under their bilateral agreements. NCM is developing the first India-Japan BECCS Article 6 transaction, which would create a template for large-scale bilateral negative emission credit transfer from Maharashtra's sugar belt to Japan's 2050 carbon neutrality accounting.
Whether you are a government body seeking policy advice, an industrial company facing CBAM exposure, or an investor seeking CCUS project opportunities — our team is ready to engage.