Bhagwant Mann asks German company Verbio to explore future collaboration with Punjab

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has asked German bio-energy company Verbio to explore future collaboration opportunities with Punjab in the renewable energy sector.

The chief minister called on Founder and CEO of Verbio Vereinigte BioEnergie AG, Claus Sauter, during his visit to Berlin on Thursday late evening, a state government release said here on Friday.

Mann is currently on a visit to Germany to woo investors as his government promotes Punjab as the most preferred destination for doing business.

The chief minister said Verbio has strong association with the state as its Indian subsidiary Verbio India Private Ltd has recently commissioned one of the largest biofuel (Biomethane/Bio-CNG) production units in India with 33 tonne per day of bio-CNG capacity at Sangrur.

He said the bio-CNG project will produce biogas "by anaerobic digestion process, which is a great way to solve the problem of stubble burning".

Mann, while sharing his vision and policies for the growth of the industrial ecosystem in the state, invited the company to extend their association with Punjab and establish more product verticals in the state.

The chief minister and Claus Sauter discussed the group's project in the state and its contribution towards managing the agri-residue of the state, the release said.

Mann assured the CEO of fulsome support and cooperation from the Punjab government to solve any issues for their project. He said the Punjab government is committed to a win-win solution for farmers, environment and the entire ecosystem.

The chief minister also invited Claus Sauter and the Verbio management to the Progressive Punjab Investors' Summit on February 23-24, 2023 to share their experience on working in Punjab and explore future collaboration opportunities in the renewable energy sector.

According to the release, Verbio is a leading independent manufacturer of bio-energy in Europe and every year, Verbio's plants produce around 660,000 tonne of biodiesel, 260,000 tonne of bioethanol, and 900 gigawatt-hours of biomethane.

It manufactures biofertilizer and animal feed for agricultural use as well as high value raw materials for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food processing industry, it further said.