There are now 1,023 biogas plants

The biogas industry broke all records in 2021: there are now 1,023 production facilities in Europe, 40 of which are located in Switzerland according to the EBA.

One of a total of 1023 biogas plants in Europe, with the number of production plants growing rapidly at present and in the last two years. Source: Viva

The European Biogas Association’s (EBA) Biogas Map shows that almost 300 new plants have been commissioned across Europe in the last year and a half. The rapid introduction of biogas technologies and plants will help the European economy to accelerate decarbonisation. Nevertheless, the sector will need the relevant legal support in the coming years in order to realise its full potential.

«2021 was the year in which the expansion of biogas plants in Europe made the fastest progress to date. This is not surprising when you consider that biogas is the only renewable fuel available and scalable in Europe today, enabling cost-effective use of the existing gas infrastructure», explains Bojana Achovski, GIE Secretary General.

Biogas is capable of covering up to 30 – 40 % of Europe’s expected gas consumption in 2050, with an estimated production volume of at least 1,000 TWh. «Efficient trading of biogas across Europe should be established in order to ensure that it will play an increasingly important role as a renewable fuel», says Harmen Dekker, Director of the EBA. «Furthermore, the future development of gas infrastructure should take into account the necessary adaptations so as to allow higher levels of biomethane to be fed into the distribution grids.»

France, Italy and Denmark are currently the countries showing the highest increase in the number of biogas plants. These countries ensured that after 2020, growth in production plants likewise reached record levels in 2021 once again. The third issue of the Biogas Map lists all the plants – including the total of 40 production plants in Switzerland of course. Incidentally, you can download the map as a PDF here. (jas, 15 February 2022)