Brussels, 25th of October, 2024. The European Biogas Conference, the flagship event of the European Biomethane Week organised by the European Biogas Association with the support of the European Commission and the Biomethane Industrial Partnership, concluded on a high note. This year’s event showcased the pivotal role of biogas and biomethane in offering sustainable, ready-to-use pragmatic solutions to decarbonise the EU economy while contributing to the EU’s energy flexibility and resilience.
At the conference, the BIP had a dedicated stand where it showcased its latest activities and materials. Additionally, it featured the latest report from Task Force 3.4 on a methodology for identifying sustainable feedstocks. BIP members were active throughout the conference, engaging in multiple sessions and sharing valuable insights into the future of sustainable energy.
The morning plenary session centered on the future of agriculture, featuring Gaelle Marion, Head of Unit for Environmental Sustainability at DG AGRI and a member of the BIP Governing Board. Marion highlighted how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is already supporting the biomethane sector. She emphasised the significant potential of rural areas for both food production and sustainable energy generation, underscoring the strong synergies between the two sectors. As discussions begin on the post-2027 CAP, further reflections on enhancing support for the biomethane sector are anticipated.
The break out session “Inclusive Biogas: With the Communities, For the Communities” featured Roozbeh Feiz from the Biogas Research Centre at the University of Linköping and member of BIP Task Force 5. He discussed the numerous positive externalities of the biogas sector, including its contributions to water and energy management and its role in fostering a circular economy. Denis Bonvillain, Head of EU Affairs at Veolia and member of the BIP Support Group, echoed these sentiments, addressing the major societal challenges of decarbonisation, depollution, and resource regeneration, all of which the biomethane sector is uniquely positioned to tackle.
In the final plenary of Day 1, “On target towards 2040 by resilience and pragmatism,” Mathieu de Carvalho from TotalEnergies and member of BIP Task Force 2, underscored the importance of energy security, affordability, and decarbonisation as pillars for the energy transition. He stressed the importance of a long-term vision and policy harmonisation for the biomethane sector, saying that for it to be credible, scaling up production is a need.
On the second day, Tom Howes from DG ENER and member of BIP Governing Board, expressed optimism regarding the recent updates to the NECPs and the sector’s technological advancements that enable increased biomethane production from limited biomass resources.
Michał Łęski from the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Poland, Member State of Task Force 1, discussed his country’s initiatives, including the introduction of a feed-in tariff and ongoing legislative developments to support investments in the agricultural-biogas sector. Meanwhile, Giovanni Perrella from the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security of Italy and member of Task Force 1, highlighted the strong, positive sentiment for biomethane in the country and its perspective on primarily using biomethane in the transport sector and for industrial decarbonization.
Aymeric de Loubens from the Ministry in Charge of Energy of France, Member State part of Task Force 1, noted a remarkable 31% increase in biomethane production in 2023 compared to the previous year, with nearly 700 plants now operational nationwide.
The afternoon’s break out session delved into the future of gasification and methanation. Leonardo Senatori from Pietro Fiorentini, part of Task Force 2, 3 and 6, mentioned key factors for their implementation, sharing insights from their ongoing projects in this field, while Maria Georgiadou from DG RTD and co-chair of Task Force 5, provided an overview of the EU programmes, funding schemes and initiatives in this area and highlighted the BIP Task Force 5 report on the current state of biomethane technologies.
In the final plenary session dedicated to maritime and aviation, Filippo Munna from Hexagon Agility and member of Task Force 4, mentioned that biomethane is the only carbon-negative fuel with great potential for use in the maritime sector. Andrea Qualiano from Edison and member of Task Force 2 and 4 underscored the tremendous potential of bioLNG in reducing GHG emissions and decarbonising the maritime industry.
