In Pakistan, the Punjab government has designed a plan to convert about 100,000 agriculture tube wells from diesel to biogas in the next five years in a bid to save energy resources and promote biogas technology in the province.
According to agriculture census 1.1 million tube wells are installed across the province for irrigation, 900,000 of them are run on diesel. On the other hand 32 million cows and buffaloes are owned by small and big farmers in the province. which producing 117 million tons of dung annually. If half of this amount is used to produce gas then the waste will produce 2.93 billion cubic metres of gas annually.
With this plan the Government hope to save 288 million litres of diesel and 30 billion Rs ($ 280 mil.) annually. According to officials work on the project would start next year, and the provincial government will bear 50% of the conversion costs, inviting expressions of interest from interested companies, while leaving it to the farmers to select the company and pay directly to the technology provider.
Moreover biogas plants installed with tube wells will help produce organic manure rich in nutrients, which will save the money spent on fertilisers.
