India can advance clean cooking at lower cost through biogas and electric stoves

Mumbai: India can build on its clean cooking success by expanding decentralised biogas and electric cooking alongside liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and piped natural gas (PNG), according to a new report.

The report, India’s Clean Cooking Shift: Scaling Non-Fossil Fuel Solutions by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), finds that non-fossil options—particularly decentralised biogas and electric cooking—can work at scale if supported by finance, services, and targeted regulations.

“Building on the success of LPG, India now has an opportunity to gradually widen its clean cooking options by unlocking non-fossil fuel solutions alongside existing fuels,” said Sunil Mani, policy advisor at IISD.

“A more diverse cooking energy mix can strengthen energy security, support climate goals, and help manage costs for both families and the government over time. The question is not whether LPG has worked—it clearly has. The question is how India builds on this success while gradually reducing long-term costs, import dependence, and emissions,” added Mani.

Over the past decade, India has made major gains through flagship initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) and the rapid build-out of city gas distribution networks.

LPG connections doubled from 16.6 crore in 2016 to over 33 crore in 2025, while domestic PNG connections grew from about 0.33 crore to over 1.6 crore. Yet 37 per cent of Indian households still rely primarily on solid fuels for cooking.

Connection growth has also outpaced fuel use. Domestic LPG consumption grew by 48 per cent between 2015–16 and 2023–24, and annual PNG consumption rose by only 11 per cent between 2021–22 and 2023–24 despite a 40 per cent rise in connections.

The gap points to affordability constraints, particularly among low-income and rural households who are unable to rely on LPG or PNG as their primary cooking fuel.

Field research in Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, and Delhi shows that decentralised biogas systems can provide a locally available renewable solution in rural areas.

Households adopting biogas reduced firewood use by about 70 per cent annually, improving health and environmental outcomes.

Users reported high satisfaction and minimal day-to-day maintenance challenges when reliable operations and maintenance networks and accessible financing are available. Prefabricated models performed well due to faster installation and lower maintenance needs.