EBA: Biomethane production in Europe rose 37% year on year

According to the European Biogas Association, biomethane production capacity in Europe rose by 37% over the past year. Most of the new plants are in EU member states.

According to a recently published map of biomethane plants released by the European Biogas Association (EBA), Europe’s installed capacity reached 6,4 billion cubic metres of biomethane per year. As reported by Bioenergy News, 81% of capacity is at facilities located in the European Union (5,2 billion m3 in total). Growth in the EU-27 reached 37%, while capacity in the European countries outside the EU covered by the analysis rose by 20% compared with the dataset from 2022-2023.

According to the EBA, Europe’s total installed biomethane capacity can help prevent almost 29 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year and produce 830 thousand tonnes of organic fertilisers annually. The fertilisers are made from digestate, the organic matter left over after biomethane production. The association says biomethane plants can also supply renewable energy year-round to 5 million European households or power 145 thousand bio-LNG vehicles throughout the year.

The map identifies 1548 biomethane production facilities. This represents a 32% increase in the number of facilities in Europe compared with the map published last year. More than 80% of the reported biomethane plants are connected to the gas grid, with almost half of them (49%) connected to the distribution network and 14% to the transmission network. The rest are so-called off-grid facilities.

France is one of the leading countries in biomethane development. Its production capacity has almost doubled since last year. Italy has also recorded significant growth, quadrupling the number of its facilities and more than tripling their total capacity, while the United Kingdom and Denmark remain among Europe’s five largest biomethane producers. Germany remains the largest biomethane producer, but is not building new biomethane plants because of unclear policy in the sector.

The momentum in the biomethane sector is closely linked to the EU’s 2030 climate targets set out in the REPowerEU plan. So far, EUR 25 billion in private investment has been secured for 2030, which will lead to the installation of 950 new biomethane plants, according to a recent EBA analysis.

According to EBA Secretary General Giulia Cancian, sustaining progress will require EU member states to set clear targets and pathways, while the EU itself supports the sector with long-term policies and administrative simplification for operators.