BSP-Nepal

Biogas Sector Partnership – Nepal (BSP-Nepal) is a non-profit organisation established in 1992, representing professionals and stakeholders engaged in rural renewable energy — with a primary focus on biogas technology. It operates as a sector capacity builder and programme implementer, bridging gaps in biogas adoption across rural communities. Since its founding, BSP-Nepal has coordinated the installation of over 270,000 household biogas plants, making Nepal's National Biogas Programme one of the most successful of its kind in Asia. Its work directly targets poverty reduction, social inclusion, and environmental improvement in rural Nepal.

Field of Work
BSP-Nepal promotes biogas as a mainstream rural energy solution through awareness campaigns, quality assurance for plant construction, slurry management, policy analysis, innovative financing modalities, and training programmes at multiple levels — including biogas mason training, supervisor training, and household operation and maintenance training. It also supports AEPC in carbon benefit programmes that link Nepal's biogas sector to international carbon markets.

Technologies Used by BSP-Nepal

Household Biogas Plants (Anaerobic Digesters)

Biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion — a biological process in which microorganisms break down organic matter (primarily animal dung and agricultural waste) in the absence of oxygen, releasing a mixture of gases dominated by methane (CH₄, 55–70%) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). This gas is captured and piped directly to the kitchen for use in cooking stoves and lamps, replacing firewood, kerosene, and LPG.

Nepal primarily uses two digester designs. The fixed-dome (Deenbandhu) model is an underground brick-and-mortar structure with a hemispherical dome. Gas pressure builds as digestion occurs, pushing slurry into an overflow chamber. This design is low-cost, has no moving parts, and lasts 20+ years with minimal maintenance. The floating-drum model uses a metal drum that rises and falls with gas pressure, providing consistent gas supply. The fixed-dome design is the dominant model in Nepal due to its lower cost and locally sourced materials. Plant sizes typically range from 4 m³ to 20 m³, with size determined by the number of cattle a household owns (since cattle dung is the primary feedstock). A standard 8 m³ plant fed with dung from 3–4 cattle produces enough biogas to meet a family's daily cooking needs.

Biogas Slurry Management and Bio-fertiliser Production

The effluent discharged from a biogas digester — called bio-slurry or digestate — is a nutrient-rich liquid and semi-solid material that retains all the nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium from the original feedstock, but in a form that is more readily available to plants than raw manure. Properly managed bio-slurry significantly improves soil fertility, reduces the need for chemical fertilisers, and increases crop yields.

BSP-Nepal trains households and farmers in slurry handling, storage, composting, and field application techniques. Liquid slurry can be applied directly to crops during irrigation; solid fractions are composted into enriched organic fertiliser. This creates a valuable agricultural byproduct that makes biogas plants economically attractive beyond their energy function — effectively linking clean energy production with sustainable farming.

Carbon Credit Mechanisms

Nepal's biogas programme was among the first in the world to register household energy projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, and later under voluntary carbon standards such as Gold Standard and VCS. Each verified biogas plant installation is credited for the greenhouse gas emissions it displaces (avoided methane from dung decomposition, and avoided CO₂ from firewood combustion). These carbon credits are sold on international markets, generating revenue that is used to subsidise the upfront installation cost for rural households — making biogas plants financially accessible to low-income families.

Operation and Maintenance Training Systems

BSP-Nepal has developed a structured vocational training framework for the biogas sector. Biogas mason training certifies construction workers in the precise techniques required for leak-free fixed-dome digester construction. Supervisor training equips field staff with skills to oversee plant quality, diagnose problems, and manage community installation programmes. Household-level O&M training ensures that plant owners understand feeding ratios, seasonal adjustments, and basic troubleshooting — critical for ensuring that plants continue operating effectively for their full 20+ year lifespan.

🌐 bspnepal.org.np | 📧 info@bspnepal.org.np | 📞 +977-9860565851
📍 Kageshwori Manohara Municipality-7, Kandaghari, Kathmandu