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55 min ago 3 min read
Spanish renewable gas platform Gas Verde, Sí has presented 10 proposals to accelerate biomethane development in Spain, outlining a strategy that it believes could unlock more than €40bn ($44.5bn) in private investment.
The platform, which brings together more than 350 companies and entities, has put forward the proposals ahead of the country’s next legislative session in December. It calls for a long-term framework to provide greater regulatory certainty and encourage investment in new production facilities.
One of its central recommendations is the introduction of clear and binding targets for national biomethane production, supported by a stable regulatory framework that gives developers greater visibility over future market conditions.
The platform also wants economic and fiscal incentives to stimulate demand for renewable gas, particularly in industrial processes where emissions are more difficult to reduce.
It argues that national, regional and local authorities should coordinate their efforts to accelerate project development, streamline permitting procedures and facilitate the use of digestate, a by-product of anaerobic digestion, as an organic fertiliser.
Spain is well-equipped to support the expansion of its biomethane industry, with around 120 million tonnes of agricultural and agro-industrial waste and livestock by-products potentially available for conversion into renewable gas.
The country also has approximately 100,000km of existing gas pipelines that could accommodate biomethane, limiting the need for major new infrastructure investment.
Its annual biomethane production potential is estimated at around 163TWh, according to a 2023 study by Spanish gas association Sedigas. Gas Verde, Sí estimates that developing just a quarter of this potential could cover virtually all domestic gas demand, equivalent to approximately 33TWh annually.
Freelance energy consultant Julio Ruiz has previously highlighted the gap between the country’s production potential and its relatively limited deployment, arguing that regulatory visibility and certainty over future demand remain important barriers to development.
In an analysis published in May on LinkedIn, Ruiz said, “The main bottleneck is no longer supply potential, but the lack of a stable and monetisable demand framework.”
He also pointed to growing interest from developers, with more than 300 grid connection requests received under the framework established by Spain’s National Commission on Markets and Competition, identifying 268 projects that could enter operation in the coming years, representing around 24TWh of potential annual production.
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners a final investment decision on the Cobirgy project in Catalonia, which is expected to produce more than 230GWh of biomethane annually.
Naturgy and ID Energy Group are 20 plants with combined production capacity of 1,600GWh per year, while Moeve has committed €600m ($668m) towards developing 30 biomethane facilities.
