Jialing China Biogas Project

Project Summary.

The rural areas of Sichuan province are among the poorest in China. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake claimed nearly 70,000 lives and killed 12 million livestock animals, and the province is still reeling from the impacts.

This project is helping to restore the region and promote sustainable development. It has enabled the construction of more than 400,000 rural biogas units that are used to fuel clean gas cookstoves and produce organic fertiliser for farmers. The units use animal and human waste to create renewable biogas fuel. This results in both financial and health benefits to beneficiaries as they no longer need to purchase coal or endure the negative health implications of burning it.

Aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 1: No Poverty

After switching to biogas, the households dispose of around 40% higher annual income due to saved energy and fertilizer expenditures, higher agricultural output, etc

SDG 3: Good Health And Well-Being

By replacing fuel with a cleaner source, the project helps bring down the number of smoke-related human diseases in rural communities such as eye inflammation, headaches, skin irritations, impaired liver function, kidney problems and neurological symptoms.

SDG 7: Affordable And Clean Energy

Rural people are provided a means to access affordable and clean energy and to reduce their coal consumption by more than 97%.

SDG 13: Climate Action

This reduction in coal use significantly reduces the amount of CO₂ released into the atmosphere and is contributing to climate action.

The result

• 10,000 total jobs related to construction and maintenance of biogas plants have been created by the project in the local biogas sector, thereof some 2,000 permanent jobs and 8,000 temporary jobs
• 2,757 Local people trained as masons and technicians since 2007
• The smoke-free biogas cookstoves reduce respiratory diseases and eye ailments.
• Beneficiaries find that they have increased self-reliance due to the availability of clean, convenient and inexpensive biogas from their own supply.
• The annual coal consumption per household has fallen from 970kg to 27kg with the new digesters.