Enjoy the latest WBA Biogas Market News Round-up, presenting the most important news and developments from the biogas industry worldwide.
Edited by Jon Hughes (jhughes@worldbiogasassociation.org).
March and April 2024
EU
EREF response to the public consultation of the European Commission onguidance for Member States on the designation of renewables acceleration areas – EREF (eref-europe.org): The European Renewable Energy Foundation welcomes the plans to accelerate and simplify permit granting procedures for renewable energy development, as foreseen in the amended Renewable Energy Directive (REDIII).
Energy Innovation in the 21st Century: Graforce’s Plasma Technology Advances the Hydrogen Economy and CO2 Removal (lelezard.com) : Pilot Plasmalyzer plants in Austria and Germany are to start producing hydrogen and solid carbon for soil regeneration from natural gas/biogas.
Ukraine and Denmark to cooperate in the field of biogas, ministers agree: Ukraine and Denmark expand energy partnership to include co-operation on biogas development.
€2.5tn energy-infrastructure investment needed to hit EU climate goals – ERT – PA Europe (portfolio-adviser.com): Industry report calls for upgrades to pan-European grid, including biomethane connections, as it maps pathway to net zero by 2050.
Austria
Biogas is an absolute all-rounder | Austrian Chamber of Agriculture (lko.at): Biogas offers an exit strategy from Russian imports of natural gas. No other energy source guarantees such a crisis-proof and sustainable energy supply, says the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture.
Denmark
Duvenbeck switches to biogas for its long-distance transport services for ZF Saarbrücken – Automotive Purchasing and Supply Chain: Danish logistics company Duvenbeck switches 40 car transporters to biomethane, part of the company’s strategy to be climate neutral by 2040.
New HOFOR plant gets significantly more biogas out of Copenhagen’s wastewater | HOFOR A/S (ritzau.dk): Pilot plant in Denmark aims to recover 66% more biogas out of the same amount of wastewater in a power-to-gas prototype.
New green project to provide better fertiliser products through biogas (landbrugnet.dk): Danish biogas companies collaborate on developing digestate enhancement pathways to clear the way for sector expansion.
Finland
Arla milk producers involved in Ranua biogas plant project – Konepörssi.com (koneporssi.com): Finnish dairy co-operative gets the go-ahead for a biogas plant – with 16 members who supply Arla Foods set to benefit, as the company ‘rewards dairy farms for sustainable development actions’.
France
TotalEnergies’ BioBéarn biogas unit commences operation in France (bioenergy-news.com): TotalEnergies adds to its French AD fleet as it targets 20TWh of biomethane production in France.
Op-ed: Gas truck professionals warn Brussels about their future – FranceRoutes (actu-transport-logistique.fr): Biomethane for transport trade group in France warn the EU against excluding the heavy goods vehicle fuel from its decarbonisation of transport plan.
SUBLIME Energie secures €11.5M to massively deploy biogas liquefaction (bioenergy-news.com): French company SUBLIME Energy has secured a second round of funding to develop its proprietary liquefaction technology, which promises to deliver a tailor-made solution for French and European farms with limited biogas production capacity.
Montblanc: Aiming for the highest peaks | Paris Capital (pariscapitale.com): A remarkable fashion item in the achingly hip Paris Capitale magazine celebrates the fact that the latest watch from Mont Blanc features a case made of titanium and Carbo2, a composite material resulting from a pioneering process that captures CO2 from the production of biogas, making the watch ultra-light and eco-friendly.
Germany
Energy transition policy saws off the important leg of biogas itself | Wind Power Journal (windkraft-journal.de): The German biogas industry calls for greater government backing for an industry that creates ~57,000 jobs and generates a turnover of over 13 billion euros.
Fostering Growth: Deutsche Bank’s Initiative Revolutionizes Women’s Role in Asian Agriculture | EuropaWire: As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme aimed at breaking down barriers and gender inequalities in agriculture, Germany’s Deutsche Bank has funded a biogas project in India.
HZI grows RNG business with majority stake in Italian AD tech and plant developer: Germany’s HZI takes a majority stake in Italy’s Schmack Biogas – giving the new holding a reference portfolio of 100 dry AD and 50 wet AD plants.
Hungary
Index – Economy – Huge changes are coming to meters and solar panels: Hungary starts to explore biogas for mass balance as it pursues a solar energy future.
Italy
Ok to energy communities, also biogas from fruit and vegetable waste (myfruit.it): Applications for capital backing and incentives in support of renewable energy production from biogas, solar and wind, open in April, as Italy targets an extra 2GW production by 2026.
In Italia raccolte 7,25 mln di tonnellate di organico, ma è allarme per qualità e uso dei fondi pubblici: Analysis Collections of food and green waste across Italy and emerging challenges.
Lithuania
AUGA group, AB interim financial results for the 12-month period ended 31 December 2023 | 29.02.24 | finanzen.at: Lithuania’s agri-food business the AUGA Group, which manages 38,000 hectares of land, is developing biomethane infrastructure as part of its “no cost to nature” strategy to deliver ‘more sustainable organic products to consumers and raw materials to processors’.
AUGA group starts production and sale of biomethane as new commercial activity (advfn.com): Lithuania’s AUGA Group starts to sell biomethane produced from treated cow manure and chicken litter to Germany.
The Netherlands
Hapag-Lloyd Takes on Bio-LNG for First Time – Ship & Bunker (shipandbunker.com): Netherlands Container line receives record delivery of bio-LNG fuel, demonstrating that bunkering large quantities of liquid biomethane is possible and scalable.
Norway
Gasum opened Norway’s southernmost LBG filling station in Kristiansand – GNV Magazine: Gasum expands its liquified biogas (LBG/bioLPG) filling station network across Norway.
Poland
Reducing CO2 in agriculture. -PPR: Comment: Krzysztof Podhajski, President of the European Fund for the Development of Polish Rural Areas, highlights the role biogas can play in decarbonising farming.
Spain
Biodegradable plastic waste to produce green energy (mundoplast.com): A research project in Spain aims to valorise biodegradable plastic waste using anaerobic co-digestion treatments with sludge from wastewater treatment plants.
REP RT TG: 15,745 Euro -0,03 (-0,16 %) (finanznachrichten.de): Spanish multinational petrochemical company Repsol has taken a 40% stake in Genia Bioenergy, as it transitions into ‘multi-energy hubs capable of manufacturing products with a low carbon footprint’.
Brazil
Biomethane won’t increase gas prices, says industry association (poder360.com.br): Brazil introduces a biomethane mandate, rising from 1-10% blending with natural gas by 2029, as biomethane integrated into Fuel of the Future legislation.
Heavy Transportation Sector Accelerates Investments in “Green Smoke” – NeoFeed: Biomethane as transport fuel is on the rise in Brazil as pressure mounts on the heavy goods vehicle sector to reduce carbon footprints along the supply chain and in public transport. See also an interview with Scania’s CEO for Latin America, ‘The Future Will Not Only Be Electric But Eclectic’.
Alagoas will have 1st unit to transform vinasse into biogas and biomethane from the North and Northeast – Economic Movement (movimentoeconomico.com.br): Northeast Brazil announces agreement to build the region’s first biogas plant, scheduled to be commissioned in 2025, producing 6 million cubic meters of biogas and biomethane annually.
Orizon CEO: ‘The business is to own the biogas’ | Reset (uol.com.br): Orizon CEO spells out how the company will maximise the value of each turn of garbage, with their plants becoming ‘industrial hubs’ in Brazil.
Government authorizes reduction of up to 92% in ICMS on biogas – Economy – Campo Grande News: The regional government of Matto Grosso do Sol, the sugar bowl of Brazil, has reduced the sales tax on biogas and biomethane by 92% to stimulate investment as it targets being carbon neutral by 2030.
Canada
Volvo Group signs agreement with Westport for joint venture to reduce CO2 emissions from long haul transport: Joint venture aims to fast-track the commercialisation and global adoption of Westport’s High Pressure Direct Injection (HPDITM) fuel system technology for long-haul and off-road applications. The Canadian company’s HPDI fuel system allows vehicles with internal combustion engines to replace greenhouse gas-emitting fuels, like diesel, with carbon-neutral or zero-carbon fuels like biogas or hydrogen.
Colombia
GREMCA inaugurated the first biogas power generation plant in the department of Cesar (elheraldo.co): The first AD plant to treat palm oil effluent opens in Cesar, Colombia.
USA
Vanguard Renewables Celebrates a Decade of Clean Energy Innovation (advfn.com): From 2 AD facilities in 2014 to 32 and a raft of strategic agreements with global organisations such as Unilever and AstraZeneca today, America’s Vanguard Renewables’ rapid rise is profiled on its 10th anniversary.
Stockwatch: Brightmark RNG Holdings announces the opening of its Eloy Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) centre in southwest America, aka the circularity centre, developed in partnership with Chevron.
Sacramento Area Sewer District enters $140M contract to build biogas energy plant near Elk Grove (yahoo.com): Ameresco is to develop a $140 million wastewater treatment AD facility in California, scheduled for commission in 2026.
Divert chooses North Carolina for its 3rd anaerobic digestion facility | Waste Dive: Food waste software and infrastructure company Divert is building its third AD facility in North Carolina, America, fuelled by a $1 billion agreement with Enbridge, a Canadian gas pipeline and energy company.
Air Liquide Further Develops Its Biomethane Capacities in the U.S. with Two New Production Units -April 10, 2024 at 11:46 am EDT | MarketScreener: Air Liquide expands operations in America with two new RNG (biomethane) plants.
India
Fostering Growth: Deutsche Bank’s Initiative Revolutionizes Women’s Role in Asian Agriculture | EuropaWire: As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme aimed at breaking down barriers and gender inequalities in agriculture, Germany’s Deutsche Bank has funded a biogas project in India.
SSS-NIBE and ORS joins hands to propel Napier Grass Based Anaerobic Digestion Process for Biogas Generation | EquityBulls: India is to pilot new processes for the codigestion of Napier grass with farm residues, as it seeks to increase the feedstocks available for biogas production.
DCM Shriram gets Rs 100 cr sustainable finance from Standard Chartered Bank (bizzbuzz.news): Compressed biogas (CBG) plant in Utter Pradesh, India, secures 100 cr (~£10m) sustainable finance from Standard Chartered Bank.
South Korea
Seoul and Yeongcheon to Launch Hydrogen Production from Biogas Projects | Be Korea-savvy (koreabizwire.com): The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Korea Environment Corporation, the city of Yeongcheon and the private company EcoBio Holdings, announced plans to sign a memorandum of understanding on April 4 for the production of hydrogen from biogas.
Abu Dhabi
Mubadala-backed Atvos inks deal to build $69 million biomethane plant in Brazil – 2024-04-10 | MarketScreener: Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala Capital backs development of a biomethane plant to utilise sugar cane waste feedstock in Matto Grosso do Sol.
Egypt
Enppi, PPC, Bioenergy Sign Cooperation Agreement at EGYPES | Egypt Oil & Gas (egyptoil-gas.com): Egypt companies align to develop the countries biogas potential.
Iran
Iran inaugurates biogas plant to reduce carbon emission: Iran doubles the power output from biogas with the opening its largest wastewater treatment AD plant.