Biomethane is in demand abroad, Czechia lags behind

According to industry association Biogas e.V., the expansion of Germany’s biogas sector is progressing slowly despite strong demand. The Czech Republic, too, is lagging significantly behind the trend, with just two existing biomethane plants, as heard at the Autumn Gas Conference.

As reported by Renewables Now, most demand in Germany, which already produces more than 11 TWh of biomethane, is currently in the heating segment. Growth in new biogas and biomethane production capacity this year is not as high as in previous years and is overall lower than, for example, in the Netherlands, Italy or France.

Newly installed capacity at biogas facilities in Germany is expected to total approximately 65 MW in 2022, according to Biogas e.V., with around 120 new plants due to be connected to the grid this year. Biogas plants, meaning those that do not produce gas upgraded to biomethane, will supply some 33.56 TWh of electricity this year, as well as enough heat to cover the demand of 1.5 million households. In fossil-fuel equivalent terms, these figures correspond to approximately 21.2 million tonnes of carbon emissions that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

Biogas e.V. President Horst Seide described developments in the biogas and biomethane sector as "not great" at a press conference on Thursday. Current figures point to uncertainty in the sector. Rising regulatory requirements and political uncertainty have made investors less willing to invest in the sector. A clear commitment from policymakers and a perspective extending beyond 2024 are now needed to fully exploit biogas potential, Seide added.

Situation in the Czech Republic

The Czech biogas and biomethane sector is facing similar obstacles, even at its early stage, Martin Schwarz said at the Autumn Gas Conference. Since the first biomethane plant in the Czech Republic was commissioned in Rapotín, legislation and permitting processes have become more complicated. According to Schwarz, construction of a new biomethane plant in the Czech Republic currently takes 3-4 years, while converting a biogas plant to biomethane production takes 2-3 years.

This is incompatible with the Czech Republic meeting its commitments, particularly in transport, and with the EU target of producing 35 million cubic metres (bcm) of biomethane in 2030, while current production is just over 3 bcm.

According to Schwarz, demand for biomethane, particularly abroad, is now so high that building a biomethane plant pays off even without significant state support. The conference highlighted biomethane’s important role in replacing fossil gas from Russia and in converting older biogas plants to biomethane production, for which state subsidies are available.