Association: Dozens of biomethane plants could be built in Czechia in coming years

Several dozen biomethane plants could be built in Czechia in the coming years. Existing agricultural biogas plants, of which there are currently almost 400 in the Czech Republic, will be the main driver of growth in biomethane production. This was stated by the Czech Biomass Association CZ Biom. The Czech Republic still lags behind the European average in biomethane production, with only a handful of plants currently operating in the country.

„The greatest potential for biomethane production lies in converting existing agricultural biogas plants and biogas plants at wastewater treatment facilities. These biogas plants will keep their existing cogeneration units to produce electricity and heat for their own operations, or possibly to provide flexibility to the electricity market operator, but they will use most of their biogas production to produce biomethane,“ said Petr Novotný of the Institute for Circular Economy.

The significant potential of agricultural biogas plants for biomethane production stems not only from their being the most numerous type in the Czech Republic, but also from the fact that agricultural waste accounts for three quarters of all available feedstocks from which biomethane can be produced. The remaining quarter consists of sludge from wastewater treatment plants and household waste. „Agriculture is the largest source of emissions and waste materials that can be used to produce biogas. These are mainly livestock manure and crop residues. If these materials were left out in the open, they would be a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. A biogas plant can capture them and use them to produce biomethane,“ said Martin Schwarz of the CZ Biom association.

According to experts, the main obstacle to more extensive biomethane development is the currently inadequate operating support. The association noted that although the European Commission approved state aid for biomethane worth around 60 billion crowns last year, it will only be possible to join the programme until the end of next year. „There is a fairly significant risk that biomethane projects will not be ready within such a short timeframe and that the programme’s funds will not be fully used,“ said Pavel Urubek, managing director of MJEnergie. The distance of some plants from the gas network could also pose a problem.

According to the association, many operating biogas plants whose operating support is due to expire also face difficulties. Data from EGÚ Brno show that this will affect 171 plants by the end of 2027. To qualify for further operating support, they will have to significantly modernise their operations or switch to biomethane production.

According to the European Biogas Association, biomethane production capacity in the EU increased by 37 percent to 6.4 billion cubic metres per year. There are now more than 1500 facilities in EU countries, with the most in France and Italy. A handful of biomethane plants are currently operating in the Czech Republic; the latest ones to come online began operating in South Moravia – in Rakvice in the Břeclav district and in Vyškov. While the latter uses all types of biodegradable waste to produce biomethane, the former produces green gas from agricultural waste.