Gas for Climate published an updated report on biomethane production potentials for EU Member States, assessing the feasibility of the REPowerEU target for 2030 and providing an outlook to 2050.
The Commission is seeking to speed up the rollout of renewable gases, including 35 billion cubic metres (bcm) of biomethane by 2030.
The study found that up to 41 bcm of biomethane could be available in the EU-27 by 2030 exceeding the REPowerEU target. By 2050 151 bcm of biomethane is within reach, according to the estimates of Gas and Climate, which is significant as the current EU natural gas consumption is around 400 bcm, of which 155 bcm was imported from Russia.
Gas for Climate previously estimated the sustainable supply potential in the EU-27 (and UK) at 35 bcm in 2030 and 95 bcm by 2050, these figures were updated to reflect the most recent developments.
The study underlines that biomethane can play an important role in meeting the EU’s 2030 GHG reduction target and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Additionally, biomethane can increase European energy security by reducing the dependency on Russian natural gas and can alleviate part of the energy cost pressure on households and companies. To achieve this, significant scaling up is required both in the short- and long-term as today, only 3 bcm of biomethane and 15 bcm of biogas are produced in the EU.
Gas and Climate reminded that following the renewed biomethane ambition by the EU, the 35 bcm target needs to be pro-actively translated by Member States into national targets incorporated into their National Climate and Energy Plans and appropriate measures (e.g. permitting, financing, certification, etc) enacted to scale up their sustainable domestic biomethane industries.
