Combined European biogas and biomethane production in 2023 amounted to 22bcm, according to the 14th edition of the Statistical Report published today (4th December) by the European Biogas Association.
Biomethane production grew to 4.9bcm with an installed capacity of 6.4bcm/year by the first quarter of 2024. This represents the biggest increase in biomethane production, with a higher year-on-year production rise concentrated in the EU area (21%).
The annual figure is more than the entire inland natural gas demand of Belgium, Denmark, and Ireland combined, and represents 7% of the natural gas consumption of the European Union last year.
Considering the current rates of biogas and biomethane production, Europe could avoid 106 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, provide renewable energy to 19 million European households year-round, and fuel 533,000 LNG trucks annually.
The rollout of biogases will be key to bolster the EU’s competitiveness and leadership on clean technologies in the coming years, but also the resilience of the EU’s energy system.
According to Eurostat, 98% of the EU’s natural gas demand in 2022 was covered by imports. Considering this significant reliance on external energy supplies and the resulting dependency on third parties, investing in biogases remains vital.
Despite the growth, a greater focus on the optimisation of market and regulatory conditions, including coherent planning of biomethane potential and faster permitting procedures, will be essential to ensure sustained growth in the coming years.
Harmen Dekker, EBA’s CEO, said Europe’s greatest resource for reducing reliance on outside energy providers is a combination of all renewable energy sources, including biogases.
He said, “Biogases are a key contributor to renewable energy provision and not only in volume terms. Thanks to their flexibility, energy storage capacity, and ability to generate dispatchable power, biogases support and facilitate growth in other renewables.”
In terms of end uses, biomethane consumption concentrates in the sectors with the highest energy consumption, supporting their swift decarbonisation. In 2023, 23% of the biomethane produced in Europe was used for transport, 17% for buildings, 15% for power generation and 13% for industry.
Additionally, the biogas and biomethane industries can supply an important source of biogenic CO2, produced as co-product of the renewable gas. Biogenic CO2 can be used for the sustainable production of, for example, e-fuels, sustainable chemical products and CCS, which is still unexploited today.
In 2023, Europe could have utilised 29 Mt of biogenic CO2, based on the volume of biogas and biomethane produced, corresponding to 71% of the 2022 CO2 demand in the EU.
With adequate support, over the next six years the number of jobs in the sector can grow towards 500,000 and generate an additional benefit of €12bn a year to the European bioeconomy, with at least €25bn set to be invested in Europe’s biomethane sector by 2030.
United European Car Carriers (UECC) and Titan Clean Fuels (Titan) recently signed an agreement that will see the majority of liquefied gas supplied by Titan to UECC’s multi-fuel ships run on biomethane (LBM/bio-LNG) for the remainder of 2024 and most of 2025.
This deal expands upon UECC and Titan’s established commitment to use LBM. Since 1st July 2024, over 95% of the fuel delivered to UECC’s pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) by Titan has been LBM.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has granted Nortegas Group funding of up to €80m to enable group subsidiary Nortegas Renovables to finance the construction of biomethane plants in Spain.
The financing falls under the EIB action plan to support REPowerEU, and is backed by InvestEU, an EU programme designed to mobilise over €372bn in additional investment from 2021-2027.
Read more: EIB grant to spur Nortegas’ biomethane plant roll out in Spain
