Noida: Greater Noida’s India Expo Centre & Mart played host today to a big moment for Uttar Pradesh’s clean energy ambitions — the grand opening of the India Bio Energy & Tech Expo (IBET Expo) 2026.
UP’s Urban Development and Energy Minister A.K. Sharma addressed a packed audience of experts, industry leaders, and investors from across India and abroad, and didn’t hold back in calling UP the country’s leading state in bioenergy.
“Stop treating waste as a problem”
The minister’s core message was simple: waste shouldn’t be seen as a burden but as an opportunity — for energy, jobs, and economic growth. He pointed out that UP already tops the country in several key areas: it’s number one in the PM Surya Ghar scheme, number one in CBG (compressed biogas) production, and has even set records in power supply. Beyond that, he noted, the state now ranks as the most peaceful state in India and the most business-friendly one too.An open invitation to investors.
Sharma made a direct pitch to investors watching from around the world: come to Uttar Pradesh, set up your plant anywhere in the state, and you won’t be asked to pay any “goonda tax” — a jab at the extortion and intimidation that once scared off businesses. He credited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s leadership with transforming the state’s law-and-order situation, saying that a safer, more peaceful, investment-friendly environment has turned UP into a destination investors can trust.Why bioenergy makes sense for UP.
According to Sharma, Uttar Pradesh is sitting on enormous untapped potential in bioenergy. The state’s agricultural economy, its sugarcane output, crop residue, organic waste, and municipal solid waste all provide raw material that could be put to scientific and technological use — generating clean energy while opening up new opportunities for farmers, young people, and industry alike.
He framed this as part of a bigger push, under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath, to move the state rapidly toward clean, green, sustainable energy. The government’s goal, he said, is to encourage new energy technologies, attract large-scale investment, create jobs, and drive economic growth without losing sight of environmental protection.Turning trash into opportunity.
Technologies like CBG, biogas, biomass, and waste-to-energy don’t just produce clean power, Sharma argued — they also strengthen waste management and support a circular economy.
Investment in bioenergy, he added, would boost the rural economy by putting crop residue to better use, giving farmers extra income, creating local jobs, and pushing the state closer to energy self-sufficiency.A platform for global collaborationSharma described expos like IBET as a crucial opportunity for UP to showcase its potential to global investors and technical experts, and said the state government is working continuously to build an environment that’s friendly to investment, technology, innovation, and industry. The ambition, he said, goes beyond just producing more energy — UP wants to become the country’s leading state in new energy technology, investment, and innovation, with the resulting activity benefiting both rural and urban areas.
Also speaking at the event were CM’s Advisor Avnish Awasthi and Additional Chief Secretary (Energy) Ashish Goyal, both of whom praised the state government’s achievements and urged stakeholders to step forward and tap into UP’s investment opportunities. They noted that IBET Expo 2026 runs from August 11–13 in Greater Noida, bringing together investors, experts, technical institutions, and industry from India and abroad on a single platform to strengthen collaboration and investment in bioenergy nationwide.150+ companies, and a new website launchAs part of the launch,
Sharma cut the ribbon on exhibition stalls set up by more than 150 national and international companies, and took time to walk through the displays — checking out products and solutions tied to bioenergy, clean energy, and new technology. He also launched a new website called “Bharat Bio Energy Compass,” designed to be a one-stop information hub connecting investors, industries, and experts in the bioenergy space.Overall, IBET Expo 2026 is shaping up as a key platform linking UP’s agricultural strength, organic resources, and energy potential with modern technology and investment — with hopes that it will translate into extra income for farmers, more rural jobs, entrepreneurship, and broader economic growth for the state.
