In a bid to strengthen the company's environmental sustainability initiatives and make its operations greener, Maruti Suzuki India said in a statement on Wednesday that it would invest Rs 4.50 billion over the next three years in sustainable energy projects such as solar energy and biogas. , starting with the current financial year. In 2023-2024, it has allocated Rs 1.20 billion for renewable energy initiatives. Tapping into the company's untapped potential in internal food waste and Napier grass as resources, the automotive industry leader has commenced production at its biogas plant at its Manesar plant in line with its plan for renewable energy. According to the statement, the project is consistent with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy's "Waste to Energy" program. The knowledge gained from this pilot project will be implemented in the company's upcoming production facilities. By 2031, Maruti plans to increase production capacity to four million cars. The two greenfield manufacturing facilities, one in Gujarat and the other in Kharkhoda, Haryana, are now under construction. Manesar's prototype biogas plant is expected to generate 0.2 tons of biogas per day. It is expected that approximately 10 million standard cubic meters of biogas will be produced in 2024-2025. Approximately 190 tons of CO2 are compensated annually. The company will use Napier grass and food waste from canteens as raw materials, adhering to the principles of circularity. The company's Manesar site will use energy from the prototype biogas plant for its production operations. This zero discharge concept is achieved by efficiently using the remaining organic fertilizer in horticulture. In a statement, Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, said energy is a crucial part of the manufacturing process. He stated that as they aim to increase their production capacity from approximately 2 million to 4 million by 2030-31, they are also intensifying their efforts to increase the share of sustainable and renewable energy sources used in their operations. He emphasized that this initiative is in line with Suzuki's Environmental Vision 2050 and the Indian government's emphasis on renewable energy.
