Rebelion on the farm. But this time we are not talking about literature or politics, but about energy.
There is debate in high places in Europe about how to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons from Russia and how to diversify energy supply to meet climate goals, but some of the resources we need are already at home.
They are those represented by the set of organic matter from vegetable or urban waste, manure, rejects from the agri-food and forestry industry, sludge from sewage treatment plants, pig manure, etc. It is a hidden natural treasure (and not always used). Spain, which has a relevant agricultural sector, farms and livestock farms, has a great opportunity.
Because through a decomposition process of this organic matter called digestion and carried out in specific facilities, gases are generated that serve as a renewable energy source, applicable in situ to strengthen local economic development. It is the biogas. Thanks to a successive debugging procedure known as upgrading , a further step can be taken. By removing impurities and carbon dioxide from biogas, biomethane is obtained. The latter has a great advantage: it can be injected into the existing gas network just like natural gas.
On paper, its advantages are obvious. It is a mature technology. There is no more spending on new infrastructure, no net harmful emissions into the atmosphere, and it is an indigenous energy resource. You don't have to buy it abroad. Likewise, the solid waste from the process is reused to produce fertilizers, recover degraded areas and promote the circular economy. "Unlike green hydrogen, which aims to be one of the green bets of the future, biomethane is the present and is ready for immediate use," says Joan Batalla, president of Sedigas.
Its many applications include the supply of heat and electricity for buildings and industries and the production of fuels for the transport sector. In addition, these waste treatment plants take up ten times less space than a solar or wind installation. And they could generate up to 25,000 jobs in the next eight years.
In addition, in this way, the problem of managing waste from agricultural holdings is solved and, incidentally, the depopulation of rural areas is fought against (think of the empty Spain).
For the EU, Spain is the third community country with the greatest potential for developing this type of energy source. It could contribute 10% of Europe's gas consumption. However, until now this resource has remained in limbo. Compared to the almost 20,000 biogas plants available in Europe, there are less than 250 in Spain. As for biomethane, there are only five plants for production and injection into the natural gas network in Spain, when as a whole there is a thousand, thanks also to the fact that there were important public subsidies to cover the costs. One of the biggest differences is with France, which already has almost 500 biomethane plants, growing at a rate of two per week.
The Executive launched a biogas roadmap at the end of March, but, according to sources consulted, it did so late (before the hydrogen one was made) and with little ambition. “The roadmap is insufficient. It seems more like a destination sheet: you want to get to a city, but without explaining how or with whom or who pays the expenses. It sets a consumption target of at least 3.5% biomethane, when it should be 10% to align with Europe”, objects Francisco Repullo, president of the Spanish Biogas Association (Aebig).
But now a decisive week has just closed. The Government has published the royal decree that will allow the implementation of a guarantee of origin certification system for renewable gases, a standard that transposes a long-delayed European directive and whose implementation will be entrusted to Enagás. By having information on when, where and how the gas was produced, these guarantees will provide added value when marketing biomethane, encourage its consumption and allow companies to carry out their decarbonisation policies, by switching or offsetting the purchase of emission rights.
The other novelty is the RepowerEU plan that was presented a few days ago. Brussels intends that 10% of its gas demand be covered by biomethane by 2030, a percentage that according to some organizations, such as the European Biogas Association, could triple in 2050. Now it has put on the table some 37,000 million euros allocated to this technology, a figure that exceeds that of hydrogen. While waiting for this to materialize and the money reaches its destination, the financial environment is favorable. "There is going to be an explosion of biomethane plants in Spain with the support of investors," predicts Joan Ramon Morante, director of the Catalan Energy Research Institute (IREC) and professor at the UB. In fact, Spain will have 12 biomethane plants by the end of the year and by 2024 there will be 64, according to the Gasnam association.
We must also consider the geopolitical context, which plays in its favour. Compared to four or five years ago, the situation is different, because this technology is now competitive. With the price of natural gas skyrocketing due to the war in Ukraine, biomethane is convenient. Even with the current gas price cap at 50 euros, renewable gas costs about half that. In addition, through this technology a certain "energy sovereignty" is increased. "Spain could replace a third of the gas it imports with biomethane produced in the country," says Joan Batalla.
“The goal is for biomethane to represent more than 20% of current EU gas imports from Russia, so that by 2050 it covers between 30% and 50% of future EU gas demand. ”, explains Harmen Dekker, CEO of the European Biogas Association (EBA).
“The money from Brussels falls short, if you think that a biogas plant alone costs seven million euros. Public financial support is still needed”, claims Repullo. Likewise, in his opinion, in Spain there is a lack of a certain regulatory homogenization between the different autonomous communities and it is essential to speed up the processes, because to obtain environmental licenses it can take up to six months.
Can biomethane be considered a new green energy pillar or is it just another component? According to Repullo, "the added value of this resource is not so much its energy value as its environmental impact, because it eliminates waste and emissions". But we must not forget that in Back to the Future (1985) Dr. Doc threw garbage in the DeLorean car as fuel to travel to the future.
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