Biomethane in the EU: Commission launches platform to accelerate sector growth

The European Commission officially launched the so-called Biomethane Mechanism last week, one of the key initiatives under the EU Energy and Raw Materials Platform. The mechanism is intended to help companies, investors and other market participants develop biomethane projects and create new business opportunities. 

Renewable gases such as biomethane and green hydrogen are an indispensable part of the ongoing decarbonisation of Europe's energy sector and industry. Their advantage is that they can already be injected into existing gas networks (in hydrogen's case, only in limited quantities for now), helping to reduce consumption and therefore imports of natural gas.

According to a report published in spring on the volumes of renewable gases injected into European gas networks, the amount of injected biomethane increased by 5.1 TWh to 43.2 TWh in the last gas year (from October 2024 to September 2025). For hydrogen, volumes fell from 3 GWh to 1 GWh, with Germany the only country where green hydrogen was injected into the gas network.

The largest share of last year's growth was accounted for by France, the leader in this area. It injected 13.1 TWh of biomethane into the gas network during the last gas year, up 2 TWh year on year. Germany was the second-largest market with 12 TWh (up 1.2 TWh year on year). Other countries with "terawatt-hour" volumes of injected biomethane include Denmark (8.3 TWh), Italy (4.1 TWh) and the Netherlands (3.3 TWh).

However, one of the fastest-growing markets is the Czech Republic, where volumes nearly quadrupled compared with the previous gas year (from around 50 GWh to just under 200 GWh).

To support further growth in the biomethane sector, the EU launched the Biomethane Mechanism last week, which, in addition to connecting biomethane producers and consumers, will provide access to information on regulatory conditions and financing opportunities at national and regional levels.

"Given geopolitical instability and continued pressure on energy markets, the Commission maintains that this domestic, storable and sustainable energy source can help reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports and strengthen the resilience of Europe's energy system," the European Commission said.

The Commission added that the first round of supply and demand "matching" is planned for September this year, with further features to be gradually added to the platform.