2018

EBA Statistical Report

Renewable Energy House
Rue d’Arlon 63–65 • 1040 Brussels, Belgium
MAIL info@european-biogas.eu
PHONE +32 24 00 10 89
FAX +32 2546 1934
WEB www.european-biogas.eu

Join us on

Founded in 2009, the European Biogas Association (EBA) promotes the sustainable production and use
of biogas, biomethane and syngas from anaerobic digestion (AD) and biomass gasification in Europe.
This covers all end-use applications, including heat, electricity and transport fuel. The members of the
EBA comprise national biogas associations, consultants, universities and research institutes and compa-
nies including major European producers, traders and grid operators.
Statistical Report
2018
Annual Statistical Report of the European Biogas Association
European Overview Chapter
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EBA
PREAMBLE
STATISTICAL REPORT 2018

Preamble
The EBA Secretariat is proud to present to you the EBA Statistical Report 2018, which offers the most up-to-date,
Europe-wide market information and data available (reflecting developments up to the end of 2017), as well as in-
depth analysis of the national and European biogas and biomethane markets.

Thanks to the support and efforts of both EBA Members and the Secretariat, the EBA Statistical Report has become
an important point of reference for the European biogas and biomethane sectors, consulted by EU institutions
and by numerous industrial stakeholders worldwide. This eighth edition of the EBA Statistical Report builds on
the structure of the previous issue to provide a unique European overview, compiling first-hand information from
national biogas associations. This edition includes newly developed European maps and per capita analyses that
present the national markets in a new and unique light and is published in new professional design, thanks to the
support of its sponsors. Additionally, more than 20 Country Profiles will consider the evolution of the national
biogas and biomethane markets in detail. We would like to express our gratitude to all contributors who made this
report possible.

The number of European biogas plants has increased continuously over the past decade, showing that national
biogas markets are well established and strong enough to overcome the political uncertainty which has affected
certain countries. The development of new trends and more advanced technologies in the last year, has resulted
in higher plant efficiency, cheaper digesters, and cheaper upgrading units for the conversion of raw biogas to bio-
methane of natural gas grade. The EBA is working at several levels to support the better integration of biomethane
into the existing gas market. Collaborations between the EBA and the international gas industry, and participation
in several circular economy projects, have helped to emphasise the importance of biomethane and digestate use for
the necessary energy transition, and to establish anaerobic digestion technology as an integral part of the European
bioeconomy.

The Gas for Climate initiative presents the role of renewable gas in a low-emission energy system by 2050. The
European Biomethane Map 2018 was published in collaboration with Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE). This com-
prehensive map locates and lists biomethane installations operating in Europe (as of the first quarter of 2017),
providing specific details about each biomethane plant. In collaboration with the European Renewable Gas Regis-
try (ERGaR), the cross-border administration of sustainable biomethane certificates has been further developed,
leading to its likely implementation in early 2019. Under the auspices of the Biorefine Cluster Europe, the EBA and
the University of Ghent are actively pushing for technological advance, and for European legislation to help realise
the full potential of digestate across Europe.

The EBA has many interesting initiatives and projects ahead for the year and the decade to come, especially as it
enters its tenth anniversary year in 2019.

We wish you an inspiring read!

I
 GUIDANCE EBA
FOR STATISTICAL
THE USE OF THIS
REPORT
REPORT
2018 EBA
EBA Statistical
Statistical Report
Report 2018
2018

Guidance for the Use of this Report

Methodology
The Statistical Report of the European Biogas Association is an extensive examination of the state of the biogas and
biomethane industry in Europe. The report covers the EU-28 Member States as well as Iceland, Norway, Serbia and
Switzerland. Data presented include biogas and biomethane statistics (where available), along with relevant legisla-
tive information and National Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) targets.
The data originate mainly from national biogas associations, national statistical reports, industries present in the
respective countries, or – in the absence of submitted data – from data compiled by the EBA secretariat. We would
like to express our gratitude to all contributors who made this publication possible.

How to quote this report

EBA 2018. “Statistical Report of the European Biogas Association 2018.” Brussels, Belgium, December 2018.

Units
• Watt-hours (Wh) are used for biogas and biomethane production, to allow easy comparison between statistics;
• Joules (J) are used for heat production;
• Watts (W) are used for the Installed Electric Capacity (IEC) of biogas plants, generally as MW.
Watts (W) are used in preference to Watts electric (Wel), to ensure clarity for a general readership. Watts are not
used to describe any concept other than IEC, to avoid confusion.

Further Information

Stefanie Königsberger
Technical and Project Manager
koenigsberger@european-biogas.eu
Tel: +32.24.00.10.87

Mieke Decorte
Technical and Project Officer
decorte@european-biogas.eu
Tel: +32.24.00.10.87

Gregory Reuland
Technical and Project Officer
reuland@european-biogas.eu
Tel: +32.24.00.10.87

II
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EBA
COLOUR
STATISTICAL
KEY REPORT 2018

Colour Key
The following colour coding is used in the graphics contained in this report.

Agricultural: all substrates related to agricultural production, e.g. energy crops (primary crop
with high starch content), agricultural residues (manure, straw, other) and cover/catch crops;

Landfill: organic waste producing biogas collected on landfill sites, sometimes referred to as
‘landfill gas’ in literature;

Sewage: sewage sludge produced at a wastewater treatment plant;

Other: various types of organic waste such as bio- and municipal waste, household waste and
industrial waste (for example from the food and beverage industry).

Feedstock types

Agricultural Residues
Agricultural Feedstock
Energy Crops

Sewage Sludge

Landfill Waste

Bio– and Municipal Waste

Other
Industrial (Food and Beverage)

Upgrading technologies

Pressure Swing Adsorption Membrane Separation

Water Scrubber Physical Absorption

Chemical Absorption Cryogenic

Other

Biogas production Subsidy (€/MWh)

Average electricity price (€/MWh) Unknown

III
 EBA STATISTICAL
ABBREVIATIONS
REPORT 2018 EBA
EBA Statistical
Statistical Report
Report 2018
2018

Abbreviations
Countries

AT Austria FI Finland NL The Netherlands

BE Belgium FR France NO Norway

BG Bulgaria HR Croatia PL Poland

CH Switzerland HU Hungary PT Portugal

CY Cyprus IE Ireland RO Romania

CZ Czech Republic IS Iceland RS Serbia

DE Germany IT Italy SE Sweden

DK Denmark LT Lithuania SI Slovenia

EE Estonia LU Luxembourg SK Slovakia

EL Greece LV Latvia UK United Kingdom

ES Spain MT Malta

Other Symbols and Acronyms

AD Anaerobic digestion kWel Kilowatt electric

bcm Billion cubic meter kWth Kilowatt thermal

CH4 Methane LFG Landfill gas

CHP Combined Heat and Power LNG Liquified Natural Gas

CO2 Carbon dioxide Mio Million

CNG Compressed Natural Gas M-, ktoe Million-, kilo-ton oil equivalent

€ Euro M-, G-, TWh Mega-, Giga-, Terawatt hour

FiP Feed-in premium NOx Nitrogen oxides

FiT Feed-in tariff NREAP National Renewable Energy Action Plan

GC Green Certificate P2G Power-to-gas

GHG Greenhouse gas PM Particulate matter

GoO Guarantee of Origin RED Renewable Energy Directive

IEC Installed Electric Capacity

IV
 s
di t
cre
as
iog
TS B
©B
 TABLE OF CONTENTS EBA Statistical Report 2018

Table of Contents
1 Introduction .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 European Overview .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.1 Development of the European Biogas Market .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.1.1 Number of Biogas Plants .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.1.2 Installed Electric Capacity (IEC) of Biogas Plants (MW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
2.1.3 Electricity from Biogas (GWh) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.1.4 Types of feedstock for biogas production . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2 Development of the European Biomethane Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2.1 Number of Biomethane Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2.2 Biomethane production (GWh) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2.3 Types of feedstock for biomethane production .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.2.4 Biogas to Biomethane upgrading techniques .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.2.5 Biomethane use and applications .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 Frameworks .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.1 Policy Review .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
3.2 Climate Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
3.3 Support Schemes .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
4 Bibliography .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

1
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW
1 Introduction
The steady growth in the number of European biogas
plants over the past decade indicates the robust nature
of the sector in the face of considerable political uncer-
tainty. By the end of 2017, there were 17,783 biogas plants
and 540 biomethane plants in operation Europe-wide.
The total Installed Electric Capacity (IEC) of biogas
plants in Europe continued to increase in 2017, grow-
ing by 5% to reach a total of 10,532 MW. The electricity
produced from biogas amounted to a European total of
65,179 GWh. Biomethane production has also increased,
reaching 19,352 GWh or 1.94 bcm in 2017.
The following pages present the European overview of
the EBA Statistical Report, a unique dataset based on the
EBA database, only available thanks to numbers and data
compiled from national biogas associations and other
EBA members. The European Overview is divided into
2 European Overview
2.1. Development of the European Biogas Market
2.1.1. Number of Biogas Plants
By the end of 2017, there were 17,783 biogas plants ope-
rating in Europe, following a decade of steady growth,
which has been largely resilient in the face of periods of
political upheaval in various countries. Within the past
five years, 3,122 new plants have been installed to give an
increase of 18%. In the year 2017, an increase of 2% in the
number of biogas plants was achieved (see Figure EU-1).
In this year’s report, the number of reported biogas
plants for 2016 has been revised, dropping from 17,662
to 17,432. This reduced number stems from updates in
the classification systems of several national databases.
In Denmark, the 17 biomethane-producing plants were
double counted as biogas plants and in France, there are
discrepancies of more than 250 biogas plants between
some of the different databases. Accordingly, under
guidance from the French Biogas Association ATEE Club
Biogaz, the number of French biogas plants was revised
in the EBA database from 873 to 668 in 2016 and to 742
in 2017.
In Sweden, the national database was adjusted this year to
allow a clear distinction between biogas and biomethane
installations, resulting in a lower recorded number of bio-
gas plants in 2017 compared to 2016 (-80 plants). In Flan-
ders, Belgium, 12 small-scale installations (> 10 kW IEC)
2
two sub-chapters, as the European biogas market and
the European biomethane market are considered sep-
arately. Detailed data, graphs and information are pro-
vided on the number of plants, the production capacities
and the types of feedstock used. The sub-chapter on the
European biogas market includes sections on Installed
Electric Capacity (IEC), given in MW, and electricity
production from biogas, given in GWh. The sub-chapter
on the European biomethane market includes sections
on upgrading technologies and on biomethane use and
applications.
The Frameworks chapter gives a brief review of the policy
landscape, as relevant for the biogas and biomethane mar-
kets respectively. Climate Targets and Support Schemes
are outlined here.
were shut down for technical reasons. In Latvia, 3 biogas
plants were shut down: one landfill biogas plant ceased
operation after use of the landfill site was discontinued
a few years ago, while the other two plants had to shut
down after they lost their FiT on administrative grounds.
In several European countries – AT, EE, HU, IC, IE, NO
and RO – there was no increase in the numbers of plants
between 2016 and 2017. No more than 10 additional bio-
gas plants were registered in BE-Wallonia, CH, CZ, DK,
FI, EL, PO, PT, RS and SK. The country with the great-
est increase in 2017 was Germany (+122 plants), followed
by Italy (+100 plants), France (+74 plants), the UK (+55
plants) and Spain (+43 plants). Despite the data consoli-
dation resulting in reduced numbers, 2017 saw an over-
all increase of 351 operational biogas plants in Europe,
representing 2% growth in the number of plants relative
to 2016.
Germany has been the driving force for biogas develop-
ment for many years and is still the foremost country in
terms of the number of operational plants. The recent
German slowdown is partly compensated for by an in-
creasing amount of new construction in the UK and
France. Figure EU-2 lists the number of plants per coun-
try from highest to lowest, clearly showing Germany
(10,971 plants) and Italy (1,655 plants) as frontrunners,
 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

EU

Σ 17,432
605 + 4% Σ 17,439

351 + 2% Σ 17,783
2,173 + 15% Σ 16,834
20,000 AT

+ 6% Σ 14,661
1,415 + 11% Σ 13,812
18,000 BE
16,000 1,889 + 18% Σ 12,397 BG
4,281 + 69% Σ 10,508

12
17
14,000 26 CH
849
Number of biogas plants in Europe

12,000 20 14
29 CY
10,000 13
6 9 16
CZ
8
8,000 16 136
50 54
33
DE
6,000 11
48
77 13 8
27
6 1
1 DK
4,000 2
17,432
6 4 EE
10,508

17,439
14,661

3
12,397

16,834
13,812

2,000
6,227
2009 6,227

11 EL
0
ES
2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Existing plants New plants FI

Figure EU-1: Development of the number of biogas plants in Europe (left), per 1 Mio capita (right)
FR
HR
5,000 800
742

10,971 HU
4,500
700 IE
632
613

4,000 IS
574

600
3,500 IT
500
3,000 LT
423
Number of biogas plants in Europe

2,500 400 LU
308

2,000 LV
268

1,655 300
MT
204

1,500
198
186
179

200 NL
144
138

1,000
NO
96
81

100
64
56

500
37
36
30
29
26
26

PL
18
13
11
11
10

0 0
DE IT FR CH UK CZ AT PL NL ES SE BE SK DK NO FI HU PT LV EL LT LU IE SL HR EE CY BG RO RS PT
RO
Figure EU-2: Number of biogas plants in European countries, arranged in descending order
RS
followed by FR, CH, UK and CZ with more than 500 of plants relative to the population of each country. SE
plants each. Traditionally, the bigger countries are also Germany stays in the lead but is now followed by CH, CZ,
the ones with a stable biogas market. LU and AT to make up the top 5, while IT, FR and the UK
SI
fall behind, making clear that there is still a very great SK
Figure EU-2 shows the overall number of plants per potential for all European countries to further develop
country. Figure EU-3, however, displays the number their biogas markets. UK

3
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW

140 136

120

100
Number of biogas plants per 1 Mio capita

77
80

60 54
50 48

40 33
29 27
26 26
20 17
20 16 16 14
13 13 12 11 11
9 8 8 6 6 6 4 3 2 1 1
0
BE

UK
AT
LU

LV

LT
EE

HU
PL
HR
PT

ES
EL
IT

IE

BG
RS
RO
CH
CZ

DK

IS
CY
DE

SK

NO

SE

FR
FI

NL

SL
Agriculture Sewage Landfill Other Unknown

Figure EU-3: Number of biogas plants (total and by feedstock type) per 1 Mio capita in European
countries in 2017, arranged in descending order
547 + 5% Σ 10,532
858 + 9% Σ 9,985

18,000 13,500
772 + 9% Σ 9,127

10,532
12,000
359 + 4% Σ 8,335
730 + 10% Σ 7,996

9,985
10,500 15,000
+ 52% Σ 7,265

9,127

10,500
8,355

9,000
7,996

12,000 9,000
7,265
620 + 15% Σ 4,778

7,500
7,500

Installed Electric Capacity (MW)

Installed Electric Capacity (MW)

9,000
2,487

6,000
4,778

6,000
4,500
6,000 4,500
Number of plants

3,000 3,000
3,000
4,158

4,158

4,778

1,500
17,783
12,397

13,812

14,661

16,834

17,439

17,432

1,500
7,265

7,996

8,355

9,127

9,985

0 0 0
2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017
2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

Existing capacity New capacity Biogas plants Installed electric capacity

Figure EU-4: Development of the total biogas IEC in Europe (left); Development of the total biogas
IEC in Europe set against the total number of biogas plants (right)

4
 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

2.1.2 Installed Electric Capacity (IEC) of Biogas Plants (MW) EU

AT
The total Installed Electric Capacity of biogas plants in The increase in biogas IEC derives primarily from agri-
Europe (hereafter referred to for brevity as the ‘total bio- cultural biogas plants – that includes the treatment of ag- BE
gas IEC’) increased by 5% in 2017, reaching a total of ricultural residues from plant matter and animal manure
10,532 MW. In 2014, 8,355 MWel were installed and reg- but also the digestion of energy crops and catch crops. BG
istered in Europe. That figure has increased by 2,536 The map in Figure EU-5 depicts the average plant size
MWel in the last four years, 547 MWel of which was in- in each European country. Plants smaller than the Euro-
CH
stalled in 2017. The development of biogas IEC in Europe pean average of 0.59 MWel can be found in AT, CH, DK, CY
delete in 2017 saw greater growth in biogas IEC than in EE and DE. The UK has the highest average plant size, at
the number of biogas plants, showing a trend towards in- 2.68 MWel, followed by Ireland with 1.79 MWel. CZ
stallations with higher capacities.
DE
DK
10,532 EE
9,985
10,000 EL
9,127
8,355 ES
7,996
8,000 FI
7,265
0,4

FR
0,5
6,000
HR
Installed Electric Capacity (MW)

0,5 1,1
4,778 1,6
1,8 2,7 0,4 0,8
HU
0,5
4,000 1,1
0,6
0,6 IE
0,6 0,2 0,2
0,9
0,8
0,7
1
1,2 1,5
IS
2,000 1,2
1,4
1,6
IT
1,4
LT
0,8
0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 LU
Agriculture Sewage Landfill Other Unknown
LV
Figure EU-5: Development of the total biogas IEC (MW) by feedstock (left) and average biogas MT
plant size in European countries (MW/plant) (right)
NL
NO
PL
PT
RO
RS
SE
SI
SK
UK

5
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW

Figure EU-6 and Figure EU-7 show biogas IEC relative to head of population, with 62.1 MW/1 Mio capita, followed
the number of inhabitants in each country. When the data by the Czech Republic (34.4 MW/1 Mio capita) and Latvia
is normalised in this way, the frontrunner is Germany: (32.2 MW/1 Mio capita). The UK is in fourth place
although its average plant size is below the European (25.3 1 MW/1 Mio capita) even though it has the largest
average, Germany has the highest biogas IEC per 1 million average plant size in Europe.

70
62
60
Installed Electric Capacity (MW) per 1 Mio capita

50

40
34
32
30
25
21
19 19
20 17 17
14 14
10 10 10
8 8 8 8
10 7 7 7 6 6 6 6
2 2
0
BE
UK

AT
LV

LT

PT

EE
HU
HR

ES
EL
RS
PL

BG
IE
DE
CZ

IT

CH

CY
DK
SL

NL
FI
FR
SK

SE

Agriculture Sewage Landfill Other Unknown

Figure EU-6: Total biogas IEC (by feedstock type and overall) per 1 Mio capita, in European coun-
tries, arranged in descending order

14 32
21

10
25 7 6
62
17
34
19
10
6 17 8
14
19
7 2
2

8 6 6

Figure EU-7: Total biogas IEC per 1 Mio capita in European countries

6
 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

2.1.3 Electricity from Biogas (GWh) EU

AT
Electricity production from biogas began slowly in the closely followed by Germany with 426 kWh/capita. The
early 1990s and increased steadily from around 900 Czech Republic and Denmark reached around half of this BE
GWh in 1990 (source: EUROSTAT) to 65,179 GWh in production in 2017, with 247 and 248 kWh/capita respec-
2017 (source: EBA database). The total increase of the tively. BG
past three years amounts to 7,588 GWh. The additional
2,336 GWh produced in 2017 reflect an increase of 4% on Per capita electricity generation from biogas in 2017 is
CH
the year before, as shown in Figure EU-8, which also in- set against the total electricity consumption per capita in CY
dicates the portion of electricity generation from the dif- 2016 (source: EUROSTAT) in the map on the right-hand
ferent feedstock types. Due to a lack of available data at side of Figure EU-9. In Germany, 6.63% of the total elec- CZ
a national level, the share of electricity production from tricity consumption of each member of the population is
unidentified feedstocks is quite high in the current EBA covered by the country’s electricity production from bio-
DE
database. gas. Electricity production from biogas accounts for more DK
than 1% of the per capita consumption in LV (5.94%), LU
Figure EU-9 shows electricity production from biogas (5.24%), CZ (4.55%), DK (4.46%), IT (3.28%), SK (2.55%), EE
relative to the number of inhabitants in each European UK (2.50%), NL (1.88%), BE (1.27%) and SL (1.08%). In
country, showcasing LU, DE, CZ and DK as the strong- other European countries, electricity production from bio- EL
est electricity producers. Luxembourg is the foremost gas corresponds to less than 1% of per capita electricity ES
producer of electricity from biogas with 561 kWh/capita, consumption.
FI
FR
65,179
2,336 + 4% Σ 65,179
3,280 + 6% Σ 62,843

62,843
1,972 + 3% Σ 59,563

HR
8,213 + 17% Σ 57,591

59,563 59,563
60,000 57,591
70,000 HU
4,813 + 11% Σ 49,378

IE
19,385 + 77% Σ 44,565

60,000 50,000
44,565
IS
Generated electricity from biogas (GWh)
Generated electricity from biogas (GWh)

50,000
40,000
IT
40,000
LT
30,000
25,180
30,000 LU
20,000 LV
20,000
MT
10,000
10,000
NL
25,180

25,180

44,565

49,378

57,591

59,563

62,843

0 0 NO
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Existing production New production Agriculture Sewage Landfill Other Unknown
PL

Figure EU-8: Development of total electricity production from biogas in Europe (left), and break-
PT
down of yearly electricity production by feedstock type (right) RO
RS
SE
SI
SK
UK

7
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW

33 0,2

5
33 0,6
248 198 5,9
4,5

36 117 116 0,7 2,5 1,9

21 6,6 0,6
426
90 1,3
247 4,5
561 117 5,2 2,6
30 65 16 0,9
40 0,4 0,4
71 1 1,1 0,1
19 3,3
14 0,5 0,4
151
5 0,1
26 28 0,6 0,6

32
1,5

Figure EU-9: Generated electricity from biogas per capita (kWh/capita) (left) and per capita elec-
tricity production from biogas, as a percentage of total per capita electricity consumption (right)

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%
2015
2014

2015
2015
2017
2015
2017
2014
2017
2015
2015
2017
2014
2017
2014
2014
2014
2017
2015
2014
2015
2017
2015
2017

AT BE CH CY DK FI FR DE HU IT LV PL PT RS SE UK
Energy crops Agri residues Biowaste, municipal waste
Industrial (food and beverage) Sewage Other waste fraction
Figure EU-10: Feedstock use for biogas production in European countries (excluding landfill),
expressed as a mass percentage

8
 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

2.1.4 Types of feedstock for biogas production EU

Although the proportional use of different feedstock
types is of significant interest, the collection of relevant
data is difficult from national biogas associations, espe-
cially for sewage sludge and landfill waste – for which
reason, landfill is excluded from consideration at this
point. Figure EU-10 displays the different feedstock pro-
files of European countries, drawing on the most com-
plete datasets available in different years.
In most countries there is one dominant feedstock type
for biogas production, although which feedstock type
that is varies from country to country. In DE, AT, LT, HU
and IT, energy crops and agricultural residues make up
AT
more than 70% of the feedstocks used. In Italy however,
the energy crops category comprises a significant share BE
of catch and cover crops. Under the slogan “Biogas Done
Right”, the biogas market in Italy is being redefined, with BG
the aim of making better use of farmland by double or
multiple cropping and using the additional biomass for
CH
biomethane production. In Denmark, Switzerland and CY
Poland, a big share of industrial organic wastes from the
food and beverage industry goes toward the production CZ
of biogas and electricity from biogas. Sewage at waste
water treatment plants is the predominant feedstock for
DE
biogas production in Sweden and the UK. DK
EE
EL

0.3
ES
136 2%
688
1% FI
1,374 4% 1.2 11,053
8% 6% 17% FR
1,577
4.1 2% HR
2,854 21%
3,026
16%
5%
HU
2,874
5% IE
1.6
12,721 8%
12.4
63% 45,650
IS
71% 71%
IT
LT
Agriculture Sewage Landfill Other Unknown LU
LV
MT
Figure EU-11: Relative use of different feedstock types according to i) number of biogas plants,
ii) IEC per million head of population and iii) electricity generated from biogas production in NL
Europe (GWh)
NO
PL
Agricultural feedstocks comprising livestock manure, biogas and biomethane used in the heat and power sec-
farm residues, plant residues and energy crops are the tors. It will cap the use of food and feed crops for biofuels PT
driving force of the European biogas market with a 60- and biogas. RED II requires producers to quantify their
RO
70% market share. The “other” substrate category – in- GHG emissions reduction, which must reach 65% - 80%
cluding organic, municipal waste and organic, industri- savings, relative to the Fossil Fuel Comparator (FFC). In RS
al waste from the food and beverage industry – is still order to reach these thresholds, producers have to focus
underrepresented (see Figure EU-11). Sustainable feed- on the sustainable feedstock types outlined in the RED SE
stocks should be far more widely used in the sector in or- II Annexes. Annex IX lists the feedstocks for advanced
der for the biogas market to be part of a sustainable bio- biofuels and biogas and Annex VI determines the default
SI
and circular economy. The new RED II, coming into force GHG values. The Annexes are kept under continuous re- SK
in 2021, has extended the sustainability criteria from the view.
transport sector to all energy sectors, also addressing UK

9
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW

2.2 Development of the European Biomethane Market

2.2.1 Number of Biomethane Plants

15 European countries reported biomethane production

43 + 8% Σ 540
in 2017, namely AT, CH, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, HU, IS, IT,

41 + 9% Σ 497
LU, NL, NO, SE, and the UK. Three more countries – 600

+ 24% Σ 456
Belgium, Estonia and Ireland – reported their first bio-
methane-producing plants in 2018, showing how rapidly 500

+ 30% Σ 367
the European biomethane sector is developing. The num-

Number of biomethane plants in Europe

ber of biomethane plants has risen quickly in recent years,

+ 22% Σ 282

89
from 187 plants in 2011 up to a total of 540 plants in 2017, 400

Σ 232
as indicated in Figure EU-12.

85
300

+ 24%
The number of biomethane plants in France increased

50

497
by 18 in 2017, making a total of 44 French biomethane

456
plants. Less than a year later, in the third quarter of 2018,

45
200

367
a total of up to 67 biomethane plants was being reported.

282
The ambitious target of 1,000 biomethane plants inject-

232
ing into the national gas grid by 2020, and the subsidy 100

187

187
scheme pushing towards biomethane production, make
France the European country with the highest growth
0
rate. France is followed by the Netherlands (+13 plants), 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Denmark (+8 plants) and the United Kingdom (+7 plants).
Existing plants New plants
In Italy, adjustments made to the subsidy scheme
for biomethane have had an impact on national bio- Figure EU-12: Development of the number of
methane strategy: 5 demonstration-scale biomethane biomethane plants in Europe
plants were closed in 2017, whereas 2018 saw the instal-
lation of 4 new plants.

2 5,9
13 2,4
12 2,3
70 7
25 4,5

92 34 1,4 2
195 2,4
3 5
15 2 0,7 1,7 0,2
44 31
1 3,8

1 0,02

Figure EU-13: Number of biomethane plants in European countries (left) and number per 1 Mio
capita (right)

10
 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

Although the biomethane market did not grow in EU

Germany in 2017, Germany still has by far the highest
AT
number of biomethane plants (195), followed by the UK
with 92 biomethane plants (see Figure EU-13). In terms BE
of the number of plants per million head of population,
however, Sweden, Luxembourg and Iceland come top of BG
the list.
CH
CY
2.2.2 Biomethane production (GWh)
CZ
The rate of increase in the number of European bio-
methane plants from 2016 to 2017 was half that between
DE
2014 and 2015, but biomethane production has never- DK
theless continued to grow, rising by 12% in 2017. For bi-
omethane as for biogas, there is a trend towards larger EE
installations. A total of 19,352 GWh or 1.94 bcm was
reached in 2017 (see Figure EU-14). EL
ES
Σ 19,352 + 12% FI
2.5
2,087

18,000 Σ 17,264 + 40% FR

Σ 1.94
4,971

2.0 + 12% HR
15,000 Σ 1.73
+ 40% HU

0.21
Σ 12,293 + 6%

0.50
12,000 Σ 11,575 + 24%
1.5 IE
718

Σ 1.23
Σ 1.16
2,269

+ 6% IS
Σ 9,307 + 308%
Biomethane production (GWh)

+ 24%
Biomethane production (bcm)

9,000 Σ 0.93%
0.07
7,028

IT
0.23

1.0 + 308%

LT
0.70

6,000

0.5
LU
Σ 2,279 + 203% Σ 0.23%
3,000
+ 203% LV
17,264
11,575

12,293

752
9,307
2,279
1,527

Σ 0.08
1.16

1.73
1.23
0.93

0.15
0.23

0 752
0.0 0.08 MT
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 NL
Existing production New production
NO
Figure EU-14: Development of European biomethane production in GWh (left) and bcm (right)
PL
PT
RO
RS
SE
SI
SK
UK

11
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW

The high increase in the biomethane production de- Denmark, Sweden and Germany have the greatest pro-
rives mostly from “agricultural” and “other” feedstocks, duction of biomethane per head of population, with
which have contributed around 1,400 additional GWh 160, 133 and 121 kWh/capita, respectively (see Figure
each, as depicted on the left of Figure EU-15. EU-16).

19,352
600
20,000

19,352
18,000

4,912
500

2,399 17,264
16,000

17,264
European biomethane production (GWh)

15,000 96

European Biomethane production (GWh)

Number of biomethane plants in Europe
12,293 400
11,575

1,239
72 12,000
12,000
1,063

12,293
9,307

300

11,575
9,000
8,000

9,307
200
13,105
11,705

6,000

2,279
2,279

4,000

752
100
3,000
752

187

232

282

367

456

497

540
0 - 0
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Agriculture Sewage Landfill Biomethane plants
other European total Biomethane production (GWh)
Figure EU-15: Development of European biomethane production by feedstock type in GWh (left)
and set against the number of biomethane plants (right)

1
19

74

133

160

64 68
121
44
10 17
37 6
5

Figure EU-16: Biomethane production per head of population (kWh/capita)

12
 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

2.2.3 Types of feedstock for biomethane production EU

AT
The national feedstock profiles for biomethane produc- wastes and organic, industrial wastes as well as provid-
tion are even more diverse than for biogas production. ing renewable gas, which is by nature non-variable and BE
The biomethane sector is much less reliant on energy dispatchable, and can be used in existing and afforda-
crops, reflecting the younger nature of the installations ble consumer applications, such as heating and cooling. BG
and the market as a whole. Biomethane production is It also serves as a vehicle fuel and can be used in heavy
clearly the future trend, making full use of the most industry.
CH
sustainable feedstocks, treating organic, municipal CY
CZ
100% DE
DK
80%
EE
EL
60%
ES
FI
40%
FR

20%
HR
HU
0% IE
AT CH DE DK ES FI FR HU IS IT LU NL NO SE UK
Energy crops Agri residues Sewage
IS
Landfill Biowaste, municipal waste Industrial (food and beverage) IT
Unknown
Figure EU-17: Distribution of biomethane plants by feedstock type LT
LU
LV
2.2.4 Biogas to Biomethane upgrading techniques
MT
The main process for upgrading biogas to natural gas- ogy, 2018. Membrane separation and water scrubbing
grade biomethane is the separation of CH4 and CO2 technologies are the favoured upgrading techniques by NL
with the aim of achieving high methane purity, low some margin. Use of membranes has increased to make NO
methane losses and low energy consumption. The ulti- this the market leading technology since 2014/2015.
mate goal is to provide biomethane as sustainable con- Figure EU-19 depicts the use of different upgrading PL
tributor to gas supplies and to be consequently applied techniques by each biomethane-producing Europe-
in all segments of gas utilisation. Conventional biogas an country, in each case presenting the years with the PT
upgrading methods can be divided into the following most complete datasets.
RO
process types: membrane separation, scrubbing (ab-
sorption methods), pressure swing adsorption and RS
cryogenic separation. For detailed information on up-
grading techniques, see Fachverband 2017. Biogas to SE
Biomethane.
SI
Data on the prevalence of the different upgrading tech- SK
niques worldwide and in Europe (see Figure EU-18)
were kindly provided by DMT-Environmental Technol- UK

13
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW

100% 100%

80% 80%

60% 60%

40% 40%

20% 20%

0% 0%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Pressure Swing Adsorption Water Scrubber Membrane Separation Physical Absorption

Chemical Absorption Cryogenic Separation Unknown
Figure EU-18: Relative deveolpment of exisitng and new plants and the respective upgrading
techniques used on a total worldwide (left) and total European (right) scale (source: DMT-
Environmental Technology, 2018)

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%
2015
2016
2017
2016
2017
2015
2016
2017
2015
2016
2017
2016
2017
2013
2014
2015
2017
2013
2014
2016
2017
2015
2017
2015
2017
2014
2015
2016
2017
2017
2017
2015
2017
2014
2015
2016
2017
2017

AT CH DE DK ES FI FR HU IS IT LU NL NO SE UK

Pressure Swing Adsorption Water Scrubber Membrane Separation Physical Absorption

Chemical Absorption Cryogenic Separation Unkown

Figure EU-19: Relative use of different upgrading techniques in European countries (source: EBA
database)

14
 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

2.2.5 Biomethane use and applications EU

10
2%
AT
Biomethane is a cleaned and purified methane of natu- 44 70
8%
ral gas grade, produced from renewable resources, and 13% BE
can thus be used for the same end consumer applica-
tions as natural gas. In order to store and/or transport BG
biomethane, it can either be fed into the gas grid or 136
filled into pressure tanks for carriage. As the injected 25% CH
150
biomethane blends with natural gas in the pipelines, no 27% CY
distinction can be made between methane molecules of
fossil and renewable origin and biomethane can there- CZ
fore be used and applied in all the same ways as natural 25
gas. 109 5% DE
20%
DK
There has been considerable development of new bio-
Pressure Swing Adsorption
methane trends and technologies over the last year.
Water Scrubber
EE
Using Power-to-Methane (P2M) technology, the CO2 Physical Absorption
from biogas production can be merged with renewable Chemical Absorption
EL
hydrogen generated from excess renewable electricity Membrane Separation
Cryogenic Separation ES
to produce renewable methane, virtually doubling the
Unknown
biomethane production of a traditional AD plant. The FI
EBA estimates that, based on existing biogas and bio-
Figure EU-20: Relative use of different upgrading FR
methane production, around 13.5 bcm of CO2 could
techniques, Europe-wide (source: EBA database)
be methanised (P2M), exploiting 54 bcm of renewable
HR
hydrogen. To produce such an amount of renewable hy-
drogen, around 213 TWh of excess renewable electricity HU
are necessary. To give a comparison, this is equivalent deployment of environmentally friendly transport fuels
to the current total electricity consumption in Spain. and the mitigation of emissions in the transport sector, IE
Using carbon dioxide waste streams will significant- RED II sets an obligation on fuel suppliers to achieve at
ly increase the biomass conversion efficiency and the least 14% renewables in the transport sector by 2030.
IS
overall technological effectiveness of the plants, as well IT
as increase the value of renewable electricity because of A major biomethane-related trend currently highlight-
the additional storage capacity. ed in Europe is the development of various incentives to LT
increase the use of biomethane as a fuel. This has lead
Biogas is one of the most sustainable energy sources, to significant results in the following countries in par-
LU
able to reach over 200% GHG emission savings when ticular: LV
methane emissions from agricultural manure are
avoided by using manure as part of the feedstock. • Germany MT
◊ 120 bio-CNG gas filling stations (100% biomethane)
In 2016, the transport sector (excluding international ◊ 170 gas filling stations (biomethane blend) NL
aviation and maritime emissions) produced 20% of the NO
total EU-28 greenhouse gas emissions (source: EURO- • Estonia
STAT) and is also considered to be the main source of ◊ The new decree for the ‘Implementation of measures PL
air pollution. Road transport is the principal generator to increase the use of vehicles that use alternative
of NOx emissions in Europe and the second largest fuels (including biogas)’ was put into practice and PT
source of PM10 primary air pollutants. has already resulted in the first biomethane plant
RO
(completed in 2018).
The decarbonisation of the transport sector is seen as RS
challenging in many European countries but is never- • Finland
theless highly relevant, especially in urban areas. Lo- ◊ Roughly one quarter of biomethane production was SE
cally produced biomethane from organic municipal and used as vehicle fuel in 2016.
industrial wastes can offer a solution which provides
SI
environmentally friendly, low-GHG-emission trans- • Ireland SK
port fuels for public transport in urban areas, in an in- ◊ The Green Gas Certification Scheme design phase
tegrated circular economy concept. To push forward the has been completed in 2018 and moving forward to UK

15
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW
implementation phase into 2019.
◊ The Causeway project is rolling out 14 CNG filling
stations, the first fast filling station in Dublin and
3 private filling stations across Ireland.
• Italy
◊ The 2017 biomethane decree update fosters biome-
thane use as vehicle fuel, with subsidies for a maxi-
mum annual production of 1.1 bcm.
• Norway
◊ In 2009, Norway had already reached its National
Renewable Energy Action Plan (NREAP) 2020 tar-
gets for electricity production from biogas and has
now set the unofficial goal of 1 TWh annual produc-
tion of biomethane by 2020, most of which will be
used as vehicle fuel (bio-CNG or -LNG).
• Sweden
◊ 175 gas filling stations (biomethane/bio-CNG and
natural gas blend);
◊ 6 gas filling stations (biomethane/bio-LNG and
LNG blend);
◊ 88% of biomethane production was used as a fuel
in 2017.
◊ Use of biomethane in transport is heavily subsidised
by taxation advantages, as well as by additional bo-
nuses like free parking and other benefits for renew-
able vehicles.
The EBA, together with the Natural Gas Vehicle Associ-
ation, estimates the potential development of gas-driv-
en buses, trucks and light duty vehicles along such lines
that, even in the most cautious of forecasts, biomethane
could easily make up as much as 30% of gaseous fuel
by 2030.
3 Frameworks
3.1 Policy Review
New Renewable Energy Directive
Following intensive negotiations, the EU institutions
agreed in June on a new Renewable Energy Directive
for the next decade. The new legislation includes a legal-
ly-binding EU-wide target of 32% for renewable energy
by 2030, with an upward review clause in 2023 as well
as sector-specific objectives, including annual increas-
es of 1.3% for renewable energy use in the heating sector
and 14% for renewables in the transport sector by 2030.
The latter endeavours to promote further deployment
of electric mobility but it also includes a sub-target of
3.5% for advanced biofuels and biogas.
16
In partnership with the European Renewable Gas Reg-
istry (ERGaR) aisbl, EBA is contributing to developing
a European biomethane market. ERGaR is seeking rec-
ognition by the European Commission for the ERGaR
RED voluntary scheme with the specific purpose of
mass balancing biomethane injected into the European
gas grid under the existing regulatory framework rel-
evant to biomethane used as biofuel in transportation
(source: ERGaR, 2018).
The advantages of renewable gas are numerous:
• Avoidance and mitigation of GHG emissions;
• Use of existing infrastructure, with no significant
changes necessary – pipelines, network, facilities,
storage in caverns/aquifers, gas turbines, appliances
compatibility, …;
• Flexibility: depending on the market situation and
the infrastructure, energy can be transferred between
different energy carriers;
• Non-variable: no periodic or seasonal on and off cycles;
• Dispatchable: for on-demand use, according to mar-
ket needs;
• Existing and affordable consumer applications: as ve-
hicle fuel in the form of biological compressed natural
or liquid gas (bio-CNG and bio-LNG);
• Raw material: methane is a sought-after raw material
in the chemical industry;
• Power-to-Methane technology and biomethane pro-
duction are synergetic, can be easily integrated and
have tremendous potential to utilise existing CO2
streams from biogas upgrading.
The Directive will hopefully enable large-scale take up
of renewable gas in the next decade. It will facilitate
access for biomethane to the natural gas grid, extend
guarantees of origin from renewable electricity to re-
newable gas and make the cross-border trade of biome-
thane easier. The new sustainability policy will further
regulate the production of biogas and biomethane by
introducing sustainability thresholds for all energy
sectors. Biogas and biomethane must reach 65%-80%
greenhouse gas savings depending on the sector when
set against the fossil fuel comparators. Sustainable
 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

feedstock types are listed in Annex IX and Annex VI European Commission finally reached a compromise EU
determines the default emission values for different deal on the new piece of legislation. It will incorporate
AT
pathways. The Annexes are kept under continuous re- recyclable, bio-based fertilising products, thus helping
view. The Directive will need to be transposed into na- to work towards one of the EU’s key priorities, the cir- BE
tional law in all EU Member States by 30 June 2021. cular economy. The new EU Regulation will recognise
digestate as a fertilising product, but the exemption of BG
Gas in future EU climate and energy policy digestate from REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Au-
In order to comply with the climate commitment made thorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) registration
CH
at the COP21 in Paris, the EU will need to foster energy is still an open question. CY
transition in all sectors; this also applies to gas. All gas
supply in Europe must be renewable – or decarbonised Clean mobility packages CZ
– by 2050. Ahead of the gas market design legislation The positive role of biomethane in both compressed and
expected in early 2020, the European Commission is liquid form, particularly in a heavy-duty vehicle sector
DE
running 8 different studies to provide intelligence on that is challenging to de-fossilise, is acknowledged by DK
different elements of the gas sector. most EU regulations, from the Directive on Alternative
Fuels Infrastructure to the Renewable Energy Direc- EE
Digestate’s contribution to the circular economy tive. The third Clean Mobility Package, published in
The inter-institutional negotiations, or trialogues, con- May, puts forward the first ever CO2 emissions stand- EL
tinued working on the Fertiliser Regulation through- ards for heavy-duty vehicles. The tailpipe approach ES
out 2018 until the 20th November when the negotiators adopted by the new Regulation is, however, unfavour-
from the European Parliament, the Council and the able to gas vehicles. FI
FR
3.2 Climate Targets HR
The EU-28 countries have set yearly, national targets gets for the EU-28 countries is set against the develop- HU
for renewable energy development until 2020, known ment of biogas IEC in the EU-28 according to the EBA
as National Renewable Energy Action Plans or NREAP database. A forecast of the development of biogas IEC IE
targets. In most countries, the NREAP specifically ad- in the EU-28 in 2018, 2019 and 2020 has also been cal-
dresses the development of biogas IEC, with annual culated, by linear extrapolation of the increase in EU-
IS
targets (Estonia and Finland being two exceptions). In 28 biogas IEC between 2011 and 2016, assuming this IT
Figure EU-21 below, the sum of the annual NREAP tar- level of increase is sustained.
14,000 LT
12,323
11,681
LU
12,000 11,039 11,232
10,376 10,432
LV
9,903 9,672
10,000 MT
EU-28 Installed Electric Capacity (MW)

9,045 9,081
8,293 8,508
7,900
8,000 7,234
7,944 NL
7,403
6,807
5,871 6,306 NO
6,000 5,433
4,746 PL
4,000 PT
2,665

2,000
RO
RS
0
2005 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 SE
NREAP targets IEC (EBA database) SI
2020 NREAP target reached with current trend Linear extrapolation of the IEC (2011 - 2016)
SK
Figure EU-21: Sum of NREAP targets set against total biogas IEC in the EU-28, with projected
figures up to 2020 UK

17
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW
The total EU-28 biogas IEC has repeatedly met and
considerably surpassed the sum of the annual NREAP
targets in recent years. In 2017, biogas IEC in the EU-28
reached 10,376 MW, exceeding the sum of the NREAP
targets for that year by 1,295 MW. This trend should
be interpreted, however, in the light of the biogas IEC
achieved at national level by each member state. Ger-
many surpassed its NREAP target by 1,609 MW in
2017, thus catapulting the whole EU-28 beyond its col-
lective goal. At 5,008 MW, the total German biogas IEC
makes up nearly half of the biogas IEC for the EU-28 in
its entirety. If the German biogas IEC is removed from
the European equation, the remaining countries fall
behind their commonly set target by 5,368 MW. Com-
pliance with NREAP targets by the EU-28 as a group
needs further efficient measures in most EU member
states.
Several countries have set ambitious biogas and biome-
thane targets for themselves:
• Denmark
◊ Cover 10% of gas consumption by 2019
◊ Ambition to becoming the first country to reach
100% green gas in the grid by 2035.
• Ireland
◊ 4 TWh of renewable gas injected into gas grid by 2025
◊ 8 TWh of renewable gas injected into gas grid by 2028
◊ 12 TWh of renewable gas injected into gas grid by 2030
◊ 20% renewable gas consumption by 2030
• France
◊ 90 TWh biogas by 2030
◊ 1.7 TWh biomethane by 2018
◊ 8 TWh biomethane by 2023
Biogas and Biomethane Potentials by 2050
Figure EU- 22: Allocation of sustainable, renewable gas over various sectors in the European 2050
energy system. (Source: ECOFYS, 2018, Gas for Climate Study)
18
◊ 60 TWh biomethane by 2028
◊ Potential to reach 100% renewable gas by 2050
• Italy
◊ 80 TWh biogas by 2030
• Finland
◊ 15 TWh biogas by 2045
• Sweden
◊ 15 TWh biogas by 2030
◊ Vision of fossil-free transport sector by 2050
The Gas for Climate initiative presents the role of
renewable gas in a European low-emission energy sys-
tem by 2050. The estimations show that 1,072 TWh
(98 bcm) of sustainable biomethane can be produced
annually, which represents roughly 22% of the current
natural gas consumption. Additionally, around 24 bcm
of renewable hydrogen can be produced by convert-
ing low cost wind and solar electricity. The combined
renewable gas potential of 122 bcm of renewable gas
per year is possible. This valuable renewable energy
should be allocated over those economic sectors where
highest societal cost savings are possible: heating and
power generation, transport and additionally heavy in-
dustry. According to the study, taking into account the
remaining 72 bcm for heating and power generation
from sustainable biomethane and hydrogen will allow
annual societal cost savings of 138 billion € by 2050,
an equivalent of 600 € for each EU household (source:
ECOFYS, 2018, Gas for Climate Study.).
98 bcm Biomethane
24 bcm Hydrogen from Power-to-Gas
Σ 122 bcm total renewable gas potential
45 bcm Industry
5 bcm Transport
72 bcm Buildings and Power generation

In December 2018, in line with the new Governance Reg-
ulation, EU Member States have to submit their draft
National Energy and Climate Plans, on which they will
receive feedback and recommendations from the Euro-
pean Commission by June 2019 at the latest. The Nation-
al Energy and Climate Plans will be issued for the period
2021 to 2030 (and every subsequent ten-year period) and
will include national targets, contributions, policies and
measures for each of the five dimensions of the energy
union: i) decarbonisation; ii) energy efficiency; iii) energy
security; iv) internal energy market; and v) research, in-
3.3 Support Schemes
Support schemes are crucial instruments in achieving
a smooth transition towards the mass market integra-
tion of renewables in the EU and allowing them to reach
economic competitiveness with conventional technolo-
gies (Menanteau, Finon, & Lamy, 2003) (International
Energy Agency, 2008). Support for biogas, electricity
from biogas and biomethane production are, however,
decided at national level in the EU, resulting in a vari-
ety of measures and a corresponding range of results
across Europe.
A report published in August 2018 by the EBA within
the BiogasAction project, suggests that 70.0% of biogas
production in 2016 was developed thanks to the main
support scheme in the relevant country. On average, a
lag phase of around three years can be identified be-
tween the start of the main support scheme and a sig-
nificant rise in biogas production. Adequate support
schemes are crucial for the development of renewable
energy: 2016 biogas production would not have reached
16.6 Mtoe without the various national schemes in place
in the different EU countries (EBA 2018. BiogasAction).
The two main approaches towards incentives frame-
works are price-based and quantity-based. Price-
based approaches are usually Feed-in Tariffs (FiT)
or Feed-in Premiums (FiP). For quantity-based ap-
proaches, authorities either define national targets
and organise competitive bidding processes or im-
pose quotas on energy suppliers provided via tradable
green certificates (GC).
Feed-in Tariff (FiT)
A Feed-in tariff is a technology-specific support
scheme providing a technology-specific remuneration
per unit of renewable energy. Public authorities define
and guarantee the tariff for a specified time period.
The following three criteria are typical advantages of
a FiT:
EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018
novation and competitiveness. Member States will have EU
to report on the progress made in implementing the Inte-
AT
grated National Energy and Climate Plans on a biennial
basis. The proposed new rules stress the importance of BE
regional cooperation in the development and implemen-
tation of these plans. EU countries are also called on to BG
encourage their citizens to participate in the preparation
of the plans to ensure that the views of citizens, business-
CH
es and regional and local authorities are taken into ac- CY
count.
CZ
DE
DK
• Long-term contract with producer (often 10-20 years) EE
• Guaranteed grid access
• Payment levels based on the renewable energy gener- EL
ation costs. Payment levels are usually differentiated ES
by technology type, project size, resource quality, and
project location. Often there are tariff degressions FI
which represent a declining of the tariff in subsequent
years (Couture, Cory, Kreycik, & Williams, 2010) FR
(EurObserv’ER, 2015) (Menanteau, Finon, & Lamy,
HR
2003).
HU
FiT policies may include programme or project caps on
the total renewable energy capacity allowed (usually IE
differentiated by technology type); on the maximum
individual project size (also often differentiated by
IS
technology type); or according to the total programme IT
cost (either total cost per year, or for the multiyear pro-
gramme) (Couture, Cory, Kreycik, & Williams, 2010). LT
Feed-in tariffs are the most used support system in Eu-
rope.
LU
LV
Feed-in premium (FiP)
A Feed-in premium is a bonus to be paid above the pre- MT
vailing, pre-specified benchmark market price. It is a
technology-specific subsidy level per unit of renewable NL
energy at a pre-set, fixed or floating rate. The premium NO
can be designed to estimate the avoided externalities
of renewable energy generation, or to cover energy gen- PL
eration cost by the total payment. The two typical FiP
designs are either a constant (fixed and predetermined) PT
price or a so-called sliding price allowing variations of
RO
the premium as a function of the prevailing price. The
FiP, like the FiT, is usually differentiated into several RS
levels, e.g.: by plant size (Couture, Cory, Kreycik, & Wil-
liams, 2010) (EurObserv’ER, 2015). SE
Quota/green certificates scheme (GC) SI
In a quota/GC system, the production of renewable SK
energy is encouraged by an obligatory target stating a
specific share of renewable energy in the energy mix of UK
19
 EBA Statistical Report 2018 EUROPEAN OVERVIEW

producers, consumers or distributors (Couture, Cory,
Kreycik, & Williams, 2010) (Menanteau, Finon, &
Lamy, 2003). Often compliance is tracked by the trade
of renewable energy certificates, which provide an ad-
ditional supplementary revenue to electricity sales
(Couture, Cory, Kreycik, & Williams, 2010). Renewable
energy generators benefit by selling their energy to the
grid at market price and by selling certificates on the
green certificates market (Menanteau, Finon, & Lamy,
2003).
Fiscal incentives
Tax exemptions or reductions are usually additional
(and minor) support systems. Renewable energy gener-
ators receive certain tax exemptions (e.g. carbon taxes)
as compensation for the competitiveness of the renew-
able energy market and its development (International
Energy Agency, 2008). A tax-paying entity is guaran-
teed a deducted amount of money on the declared taxes
because of the use of renewable energy (EurObserv’ER,
2015). The impact of fiscal incentives is of course de-
pendent on the applicable tax rate (International Ener-
gy Agency, 2008).
Further reading
For more detailed information about individual coun-
tries, see the relevant country profiles and for details
about support schemes in use in Europe and their in-
fluence on the biogas sector, visit the BiogasAction tool-
box (http://tools.biogasaction.eu/#/), which provides a
‘Data bank with existing incentives and subsequent de-
velopment of biogas plants relative to national targets’.

4 Bibliography
Couture, T. D., Cory, K., Kreycik, C., & Williams, E. (2010). A Policymaker’s Guide to Feed in Tariff Policy Design.
NREL/TP-6A2-44849.

EBA 2018. BiogasAction. Data bank with existing incentives and subsequent development of biogas plants com-
pared to national targets – v2 (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uYB5j72zMVXolhY5kjeLWZX74_5X92Ne/view)

EBA 2018. BiogasAction Toolbox. (http://tools.biogasaction.eu/#/)

ECOFYS, 2018. Gas for Climate Study. (https://gasforclimate2050.eu/)

ERGaR, 2018. (www.ergar.org)

EurObserv’ER. (2015). Country Policy Profile Croatia. EurObserv’ER barometer.

EUROSTAT (https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/data/database)

DMT-Environmental Technology, 2018.

Fachverband 2017. Biogas to Biomethane. (https://www.biogas-to-biomethane.com/Download/BTB.pdf)

International Energy Agency. (2008). Deploying Renewables - Principles for Effective Policies. OECD/IEA.

Menanteau, P., Finon, D., & Lamy, M. (2003). Price versus quantities: choosing policies for promoting the develop-
ment of renewable energy. Energy Policy, 31, 799-812.

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EUROPEAN OVERVIEW EBA Statistical Report 2018

EU
AT
BE
BG
CH
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
EL
ES
FI
FR
HR
HU
IE
IS
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
NO
PL
PT
RO
RS
SE
SI
SK
UK

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This report was published thanks to the proud EBA members:

Imprint
Renewable Energy House
Rue d’Arlon 63–65 • 1040 Brussels, Belgium

The Statistical Report is published by the European Biogas Association. All data were kindly provided by mem-
bers of the association. Design by Patrizia Burger • www.graphicpat.com
December 2018

Disclaimer
All rights reserved. This report was compiled thanks to the efforts of EBA members and collaborators, who provi-
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