By
46 min ago 2 min read
European renewable energy company Reticulum has upgraded an existing biogas plant in Horovce, Slovakia, into what it says is the largest biomethane facility in Slovakia and the Czech Republic, marking the first of several planned conversions across its portfolio.
The upgraded plant can now support an annual biomethane production of 57,000 megawatt hours (MWh) using methane produced from biodegradable waste, primarily sourced from the food industry.
Biomethane produced at the site will be fed into a high-pressure gas pipeline, located 650 meters from the plant, to support industry and household energy demand.
The plant is the first of all existing Reticulum biogas facilities that will be upgraded to support biomethane production. Reticulum operates seven other biogas plants.
Before the upgrade, the Horovce site was a standard biogas plant. Its installed electrical capacity is three megawatts (MW) to produce 1,553 Nm³/h of raw biogas.
Italian technology supplier AB Energy provided a membrane gas upgrading system to support the transition.
Mauro Bonera, Vice-President of Sales at AB, said the technology was commissioned within 11 months of the contract being signed.
The European Biogas Association believes biomethane production in Slovakia and the Czech Republic accounts for less than 1% of total European biomethane output.
There is potential to develop and scale biomethane production across the agricultural sector in both countries.
According to conducted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, 34 biogas plants in Slovakia have the potential to produce biomethane. This transition can help meet around 10% of the country’s annual gas demand.
The Slovak government has allocated over €26m ($30.6m) from the EU Recovery Fund to modernise existing biogas plants for upgrading to biomethane.
