The project "Development of High-Rate Biomethanation Process as Means of reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions," with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/ Global Environment Facility (GEF) support, enabled MNES to develop the institutional framework necessary to support a national bio-energy program focusing on high-rate biomethanation of additional wastes generated in the agricultural, municipal, industrial and food processing sectors. With the help of this project, setting up of 16 demonstration sub-projects in seven waste sectors - sewage, leather industry effluent/solid waste, pulp & paper industry effluent, vegetable market waste, utilization of biogas for power generation, fruit & food processing industry wastes, and animal manure was taken up.

One of the needs of promoting such projects was innovative financing. As these projects reduce CH4, therefore it is estimated that CDM benefits can add 3-5 percent of IRR. Therefore, CDM is one viable option for increasing the adoption of this technology. In view of this, the project aimed at orienting the national policies for biomethanation and capacity building with biomethanation stakeholders to increase access to financing under CDM for projects in India.

WII activities in the project included:

• Review and collection of information on UNDP-GEF supported projects
• Assessment of CDM potential for the above projects - the quantum of CO2 reduction achieved (based on estimation of baseline emissions)
• Preparation of Project Information Note (PIN) for six projects

WII carried out an assessment of CDM potential for biomethanation projects in India for five sectors - waste to energy, pulp & paper, tannery, slaughterhouse, and starch. The outcome of this analysis was presented in the form of a Project Information Note (PIN).