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German biogas developer Weltec Biopower has announced it will develop a 60GWh biomethane plant in Colmenar Viejo north of Madrid.
The company is working with environmental services provider PreZero and independent energy producer Enagás Renovable on the project, which has received all the urban planning and environmental permits required for construction.
The new facility will process up to 75,000 tonnes of organic waste annually. This will include separately collected household biowaste in Colmenar Viejo and surrounding municipalities.
The plant features three stainless steel digesters from Weltec, each a volume of 5,067 cubic metres (cbm) and a gas-tight pre-storage tank with a capacity of 1,177 cbm is situated upstream of the digestion process.
Alain Priser, International Sales Manager at Weltec Biopower, said stainless steel is particularly resistant to corrosion under the demanding biological and chemical conditions found in the digestion process. “This gives the plant a long service life, high operational reliability and low maintenance requirements,” he said.
The facility will operate as a closed and sealed industrial system. Advanced biofilters and activated carbon systems are designed to remove up to 99% of odorous substances from the exhaust air. The processed biomethane will be injected directly and continuously into the gas grid, eliminating the need to store it at the plant.
Currently around 60% of the region’s waste is sent to landfill. The new plant will help reverse this trend by converting regional organic waste into locally produced renewable energy. It will also support the EU’s objective of reducing the proportion of municipal waste sent to landfill to no more than 10% by 2035.
Spanish renewable energy firm Greening group recently launched to drive biomethane development in the country.
Spain’s ambition to become one of Europe’s leading biomethane producers has gained fresh impetus after Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners approved investment in what is expected to become the country’s largest biogas plant, .
European member states must and homegrown clean energy, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at the State of the Union address this week.
