Scaling up biomethane in the European Union

Published on 18 May 2022, the REPowerEU Communication from the European Commission targets a scaling up of biomethane production from a level around 3 bcm today to 35 bcm by 2030. The focus of the workshop was on the practical steps necessary to meet this target. IEA convened representatives of the biogas industry, subject matter experts and policymakers to review and discuss current and planned support schemes and regulations, and to share best practices for developing biomethane supply chains, considering the cost and availability of feedstocks, the production pathways, infrastructure needs and use cases, and bankability of projects. The material was targeted to EU member state governments, with workshop contributions from external subject-matter experts and perspectives from project developers.

Sessions were structured around member states’ questions, submitted in advance, and organised as a moderated discussion with subject matter experts that can share the latest thinking in each area.

The workshop focused on four critical questions:

• What is the current state of play of biomethane in Europe? How is industry responding to the RePowerEU objectives?
• What are the main policies and regulations supporting biomethane? Where are the gaps and uncertainties?
• How to ensure that biomethane feedstocks are sustainable and do not compete with food supply or negatively impact biodiversity?
• What are the practical considerations for creating a biomethane value chain, from production, transport to end use?