Biogas rises to the podium of renewable energies (along with wind and photovoltaic). The use of biogas from landfills as a source of renewable energy is taking a big leap. The best example in Spain is the new facility inaugurated in the Can Mata controlled deposit, in Els Hostalets de Pierola (Anoia), where the biogas accumulated in the subsoil in this historic landfill is used to produce biomethane that is delivered to the gas network. natural gas in the region.
This is the first facility in Spain that reaches the production of 70 GWh of biomethane per year from the recovery of gas from urban waste. It is the equivalent of the consumption of 14,000 homes or the fuel of about 200 buses. It has been in operation since June 20.
The inauguration of the Can Mata biomethane plant is a milestone because it allows us to glimpse and consolidate the enormous possibilities offered by landfills (among other facilities) as large deposits of biogas, a natural resource that can be converted into biomethane (renewable gas). and reduce imports of gas of fossil origin.
In this specific case, its contribution to decarbonization will avoid the emission of 17,000 tons of CO2 equivalent, by replacing fossil gas, a figure similar to the annual emissions of approximately 10,000 gasoline-powered cars, as explained by Roman Doubrava, head of the EU innovation funds unit.
It is not the first biomethane extraction plant from waste, but it is a pioneer in doing so on a large scale; At the Helena landfill in Catalonia, another plant is already operating but with much lower power.
For the first time, a large-scale plant is being created without state aid and "that allows its development with sufficient profitability," Mathieu Lefebvre, CEO of Waga Enery, promoter of the project together with Prezero (owner of the landfill), explains to this newspaper. and Nedgia (Naturgy).
The construction and maintenance of this unit will be possible through the sale of biomethane through a long-term energy purchase and sale agreement, adds Lefebre. With an investment of 10 million, it has obtained a subsidy of 2.4 million euros from the EU.
It is estimated that this biogas field can be exploited for another 20 or 25 years, since the buried organic waste remains compacted and decomposes and generates biogas beyond the useful life of the facility. In the case of the Can Mata controlled deposit, there are plans to extend its operation for ten years. To take advantage of this resource, a six-kilometer gas pipeline has been built to inject gas into the network near Piera.
Until now, biogas from Can Mata has had limited uses. A part serves to provide heat to a cogeneration plant (in order to produce electricity for self-supply). While methane was destroyed in flares to reduce its climate impact (since methane has a greenhouse effect 20 times more powerful than CO2), as its main uses.
The new patented technical procedure includes various sieves and filters, so that it is possible to separate the unwanted products (nitrogen, CO2, hydrogen sulfide...) until releasing, through a cryogenic distillation system at very low temperatures, quantities of biomethane with a quality comparable to that of the gas of fossil origin that reaches our homes imported from Norway or Algeria. The Can Mata warehouse is the first to incorporate this innovative technology, already implemented in warehouses in France and Canada and will soon be present in the US.
Gonzalo Cañete, CEO of Prezero (company that owns the landfill) recalled that Spain, according to EU reports, has the potential to take advantage of 30% of the biogas from landfills in 2050 and 10% in 2023, while this The figure now does not even exceed 1%.
Raúl Suárez, CEO of Nedgia (the gas distributor of the Naturgy group), highlighted that projects like this entail "less emissions, less waste and more employment." He also invoked the need to undertake a “fair” energy transition, and highlighted in this sense that initiatives like this are clearly economically positive for families compared to other decarbonization investments, after which he invoked the need to accelerate projects of this type to increase the presence of biomethane in the gas networks.
The Minister of Climate Action, David Mascort, announced that the Generalitat is preparing three calls for aid, for a total amount of 80 million euros over three years, to promote the use of biogas from various generation sources. The Generalitat will approve Catalonia's biogas strategy 2023-2030 before the end of the year to encourage production. Right now there are 72 facilities in operation that take advantage of biogas, including landfills, sewage sludge treatments or municipal, industrial or livestock organic waste facilities, and where the biogas is used to generate heat, electricity or biomethane. The intention is to launch some 80 new facilities.
