Maruti Suzuki unveils biogas plant in Manesar; to invest ₹450 cr on renewable energy projects

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) on Wednesday unveiled a biogas plant at its Manesar facility for the fiscal year 2024-25. This project transforms in-house food waste and Napier grass into energy, and is part of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s ‘Waste to Energy’ programme.

In 2023-24, MSIL invested ₹120.8 crore on renewable energy projects such as solar power and biogas. The company plans to invest ₹450 crore on renewable energy projects over the next three years from FY25 as the carmaker looks to bolster its environmental sustainability efforts.

The biogas plant in Manesar is designed to produce 0.2 tons of biogas per day, amounting to about 100,000 standard cubic metres of biogas in FY 2024-25, and is expected to cut CO2 emissions by around 190 tonnes each year, the automaker says. The leftover organic manure will be used for horticulture.

Hisashi Takeuchi, managing director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India, emphasised the crucial role of sustainable energy in manufacturing, stating, “Energy is one of the critical inputs in the manufacturing process. As we ramp up our production capacity from around 2 million to 4 million by 2030-31, we are also accelerating our efforts to increase the share of sustainable and renewable energy sources across our operations. This is in line with Suzuki’s Environment Vision 2050 and Govt of India’s renewable energy focus."

“The biogas plant at Manesar is another step towards fostering a cleaner and more sustainable energy landscape at MSIL and the industry at large. Just as we are bringing multiple technologies in our products, we would also focus on multiple renewable energy sources to make our operations greener," Takeuchi adds.

Takeuchi also highlighted strategic investments in both existing and new facilities to ensure environmental sustainability. This includes optimising energy use, incorporating renewable energy sources, implementing efficient waste management systems, and conserving water.

Maruti Suzuki says it is actively shifting towards green manufacturing practices at its Manesar and Kharkhoda facilities. The company increased its solar capacity to 43.2 megawatt peak in FY 2023-24 and plans to add 15 MWp at the Manesar plant and 20 MWp at the upcoming Kharkhoda plant over the next two years, targeting a total solar capacity of 78.2 MWp by FY26.

For the full financial year, Maruti Suzuki achieved a net profit of ₹13,209 crore in FY24, 64% higher than the net profit of ₹8,049 crore in FY23. The company sold a total of 21.35 lakh vehicles during the year, a growth of 8.6% over that in FY23. Sales volume in the domestic market stood at 18.52 lakh units and exports at 283,067 units. Maruti Suzuki surpassed annual total sales milestone of 2 million units in FY24. The company continued to be the top exporter for the third consecutive year, contributing 41.8% to total passenger vehicle exports from India.