Vedanta-Backed Biomass Plant Cuts Farm Fires Sharply In Punjab

09 Dec 2025 CW Team

Vedanta Group has announced that a biomass manufacturing facility supported by its energy arm, Talwandi Sabo Power Ltd (TSPL), has played a major role in reducing farm fire incidents and curbing stubble burning in Mansa district, Punjab. TSPL, which operates a 1,980 MW supercritical thermal power plant, helped partners establish a 500-tonne-per-day biomass facility in the district.

According to data released by the district administration, stubble burning cases in Mansa fell from 2,253 in 2023 to 618 in 2024 and further to 306 in 2025—an 87 per cent reduction over two years and a 50.5 per cent drop in a single year. Of the district’s 244 villages, 104 reported zero farm fires in 2025, including former hotspots Heron Kalan and Dodra, which fell from 45 and 31 cases in 2023 to none this year.

TSPL’s supercritical technology cannot use conventional biomass and requires high-density, carbon-neutral biofuels that are not widely available. To address this, the company helped create an ecosystem for torrefied biomass pellets, supporting the establishment of Punjab’s largest pellet manufacturing unit near its plant. The facility converts locally procured paddy straw into biofuel, ensuring farmers an assured buy-back market and reducing open-field burning.

Rajinder Singh Ahuja, CEO-Power at Vedanta Ltd, said effective stubble management is essential for improving Punjab’s air quality. “By working closely with farmers and partners across the stubble-to-biofuel chain, TSPL has created assured economic incentives and contributed to an 87 per cent reduction in farm fires in Mansa over the past two years,” he said.

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