Green biomethane has been flowing through Czech gas pipelines for a year; 718 thousand cubic metres last year

Developments in the energy sector show that greater use of biomethane will be necessary to meet the EU emissions targets to which the Czech Republic has committed. GasNet, the country’s largest natural gas distributor, is the first in Czechia to inject biomethane into its gas network. In the first year, this amounted to 718 thousand m³ of biomethane, enough to cover the consumption of one smaller municipality with hundreds of residents.

By 2030, biomethane could replace up to 10 % of domestic consumption for heating and road transport. This modern renewable energy source is produced by the EFG Rapotín BPS biogas plant in Rapotín, northern Moravia.

„This is a pioneering project for the entire Czech energy sector. As a leader in natural gas distribution, we provided it with maximum support. The production and injection of biomethane into the gas distribution network is an area we have been monitoring and helping to shape over the long term. We are gas industry professionals and believe in the future of gas in any form. In our view, biomethane is the fuel of the future and will play an important role in modern energy,“ says Michal Ostatnický of GasNet.

Biomethane could replace 10 % of domestic natural gas consumption by 2030

Without greater use of biomethane, the Czech Republic will not meet its binding EU emissions targets. According to experts, biomethane will also find applications in other sectors, such as road freight transport and heating, and by 2030 it could account for up to 10 % of gas consumed in the Czech Republic.

GasNet’s gas infrastructure is ready for biomethane

Biomethane in Rapotín is produced from biodegradable waste using state-of-the-art technology and has a number of advantages. It is a renewable energy source that can be produced domestically. It will help us make a significant contribution to reducing emissions, including the currently much-discussed CO2.

„A major advantage of biomethane produced from biodegradable waste is that its composition is almost identical to that of natural gas. All commonly used gas appliances today, such as boilers, cookers and CNG vehicles, can run on biomethane, or bioCNG, without any modifications,“ Michal Ostatnický continues, listing its advantages.

Another key advantage is the existing infrastructure, both for producing biogas, from which biomethane is made, and for transporting, storing and, above all, distributing gas from the production site to the point of consumption. The existing GasNet Group gas system is therefore already prepared to distribute and use biomethane without significant investment.

In total, 718 thousand m³ of biomethane was injected into the GasNet Group’s gas distribution network in Rapotín in 2020, equivalent to the annual consumption of one smaller municipality. Biomethane production continued to rise throughout 2020. The highest monthly volume of injected gas was reached in December 2020, when more than 100 thousand m³ of biomethane was supplied to the distribution network. From the perspective of distribution system operation, injecting biomethane into GasNet’s gas network is trouble-free.