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This study presents an evaluation of the technical review of existing biogas plants in Bangladesh in order to facilitate the preparation of an implementation plan for the proposed National Domestic Biogas Programme (NDBP).

Study findings revealed that the main motivational factors for farmers to install biogas plants included saving time and money, environmental benefits, availability of subsidy and health benefits, etc. Further study outcomes indicated that only 68% of the required quantity of dung produced was fed into the plant. The main reason for under-feeding was the non-availability of feeding materials mainly due to decreased number of cattle. As for the general quality of construction, only 3% of plants had good condition, 76% were in a fair condition and 21% were in a poor state. The study indicated that despite the number of defects and weaknesses, the functional status of biogas plants was on average satisfactory. Biogas plants in general were reported to have positive impacts on users, where a family saved, on average, 1.21hrs per day. Further, the Financial Internal Rate of Return (FIRR) of biogas plants was calculated to be above 30%.

Based on the study findings, extensive recommendations for implementation of the NDBP were made. They included the connection of the programme with government’s initiatives, the modification of the design of biogas plants to suit the gas use patterns in Bangladesh, the creation of information and knowledge management, and the formulation of effective repair and maintenance mechanisms, among others.