Zum Hauptinhalt springen

Newsletter January 2025

English version

Welcome to the latest issue of the biogaspartner newsletter - an information service from the German Energy Agency (dena) covering all aspects of biomethane. This newsletter informs you, among other things, about the partial acquisition of Landwärme GmbH by Anew Climate, EnviTec's investment plans for 2025 and the 150th opening of a bio-CNG filling station in Germany by OG Clean Fuels.

Further information on the biogas partnership project and our partners can be found at www.biogaspartner.de

 

GENERATION

Green Navigation offers solution for bottlenecks in EEG certificates due to insolvency of Landwärme GmbH

The insolvency of biomethane trader Landwärme GmbH is leading to bottlenecks in EEG certificates for municipal utilities and operators of biomethane CHP plants, who could lose their EEG remuneration without these certificates. In order to compensate for the shortfall in the short term, the trading company Green Navigation has set up a platform that brings together supply and demand for biomethane certificates. The affected operators have until February 28 to submit their certificates, which is why Green Navigation has already launched the first market inquiries and brokered the first deals. In addition, there are uncertainties for 2025, as a US company wants to take over parts of the land heat, which could affect existing supply contracts and GHG quotas.

Read more (D)

Anew Climate expands into the German biomethane market by acquiring Landwärme

Anew Climate, LLC, a leading US biomethane and carbon removal company, is expanding into Germany and entering the local biomethane market. With the acquisition of certain assets and contracts from financially distressed Landwärme GmbH, the company intends to offer comprehensive products and services to the transportation and industrial sectors. The new office in Munich complements the existing locations in Budapest and Madrid. CEO Angela Schwarz emphasizes the growing demand for low-carbon fuels and sees the biomethane market as a scalable solution to further reduce CO₂ emissions and support the European climate targets by 2030.

Read more

Abuse proceedings initiated by BNetzA against Trading Hub Europe

The Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) has initiated abuse proceedings against Trading Hub Europe (THE) after the gas exchange terminated the balancing groups of Landwärme Service (LWS) on October 11, 2024. As a result, contractual partners lost access to biomethane fed into the grid and the required sustainability certificates, which jeopardizes EEG funding. Eight affected companies, including Verbio and EnviTec Energy, are now demanding either a restoration of the volumes or financial compensation, as THE's previous offer is not economically viable for many of them.

Read more (D)

Construction of a PV system for the Riedlingen biomethane plant for regenerative biogas upgrading

Erdgas Südwest GmbH has expanded the largest biogas processing and feed-in plant in Baden-Württemberg in Riedlingen to include a photovoltaic system (135 kWp) in order to cover its own high electricity requirements more sustainably. The system generates 150,000 kWh of solar power per year, of which up to 95% is used directly for biogas processing. The construction costs of 120,000 euros should pay for themselves in ten years, while the PV system saves 58 tons of CO₂ annually. In the long term, there are also plans to expand the plant to produce hydrogen using PV electricity.

Read more (D)

Plant for biomethane production from biogenic waste planned for Munich Airport

The company Wurzer Umwelt is planning to build a bioenergy center in Eitting at a cost of around 150 million euros. On an area of four hectares, 8.7 million m³ of biomethane is to be produced annually from biogenic waste materials. The aim is to generate CO₂-neutral energy and, in the long term, to produce e-kerosene, with nearby Munich Airport as the main customer. While the local council and the district authority support the project, the airport has yet to give its approval due to outstanding procurement procedures.

Read more (D)

Envitec sticks to EUR 200m investment plan for 2025

EnviTec Biogas AG is entering 2025 with confidence and is focusing on international expansion and new technologies. Following its market entry in Sweden, the company is planning projects in other European growth markets. EnviTec is also investing EUR 200m in the expansion of its own plants, including the doubling of the plant in Forst with an additional production of 63 GWh of biomethane per year and the expansion of the Friedland site by 43 GWh of biomethane.

Read more (D)

Research project splits biomethane into hydrogen and solid carbon

The MEDEA research project is investigating an innovative method for climate-friendly hydrogen production through plasma cracking of (bio-)methane. In collaboration with HAW Hamburg, Iplas GmbH and Hamburger Energienetze GmbH, a low-temperature microwave plasma cracking plant is being tested that produces hydrogen and simultaneously captures solid carbon, making the process CO₂-negative. The scalability and low energy consumption of the technology make it a promising alternative to electrolysis and steam reforming. As part of the BMBF-funded X-Energy initiative, MEDEA could make an important long-term contribution to the hydrogen economy and to offsetting CO₂ emissions that are difficult to avoid, especially if only biomethane is used in the future.

Read more (D)

 

MOBILITY

Inquiry by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group on control mechanisms for biofuel imports

The CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag is calling for stricter control mechanisms for international climate protection projects and the import of biofuels. The background to this are allegations of fraud in the UER scandal and possible unlawful biodiesel imports, which have led to market distortions, insolvencies and a drop in the GHG quota. The questioners accuse the German government of inaction and demand concrete measures to restore certificate integrity, stronger controls on imports and an amendment to the Federal Immission Control Act. They are also calling for a quick solution to avert billion-euro claims for damages from affected companies.

Read more (D)

OG-Clean Fuels opens its 150th CNG filling station in Germany in Ludwigsburg

OG Clean Fuels has opened its 150th CNG filling station in Germany with the station it took over in Ludwigsburg on January 1, 2025 and plans to offer bio-CNG at around 160 locations by the end of January 2025. The expansion will focus on southern and western Germany in order to ensure a nationwide supply for road freight transport. The company sees Bio-CNG as an economical and climate-friendly alternative to diesel, especially in view of increasing demands for sustainable transportation solutions.

Read more (D)

 

HEAT

Municipality of Karstädt connects swimming pool to biogas local heating network

The municipality of Karstädt is investing the 56,285 euros in funding from the Brandenburg Package 2024 specifically in climate protection measures. These include the installation of a photovoltaic system with storage in the daycare center, LED lighting for schools and daycare centers and solar street lights at bus stops. In addition, a non-public e-charging station was installed for the administration and the multi-purpose building at the swimming pool was connected to the local heating network of the biogas plant for 15,000 euros. Unfinished measures will be continued in 2025, and earmarked use of the funds is guaranteed.

Read more (D)

 

INTERNATIONAL

ES | Naturgy plans to build up to 30 biomethane plants in Spain

Spanish energy supplier Naturgy has entered into a partnership with Hispania Silva to build up to 30 biomethane production plants across the country. The plants are expected to reach a total capacity of 2.5 TWh per year by 2030, which is equivalent to the gas consumption of 500,000 households. The biomethane will be produced from organic waste and distributed via existing gas grids, allowing households and businesses to decarbonize without additional investment in heating technology. Naturgy already operates three biomethane plants in Spain and plans to commission two more in the coming months.

Read more

ES | UECC carries out first bio-LNG refueling by truck in Spain

United European Car Carriers (UECC) has carried out the first truck-to-ship refueling with bio-LNG in Spain at the port of Vigo. The fuel supplied by Naturgy comes from a biomethane plant in Galicia and was filled directly into the tanks of the RoRo ship. UECC is thus expanding its regional bio-LNG sources and supporting the circular economy by using agricultural and animal waste to produce biomethane. Naturgy, together with partners, plans to produce one TWh of biomethane per year, which could cover 7% of the gas demand in Galicia and save 500,000 tons of CO₂ per year.

Read more

IT | Anaergia and Techbau enter into partnership to build five biomethane plants in Italy

The Canadian company Anaergia and the Italian construction group Techbau have signed an agreement to build five new biomethane production plants in southern Italy. The plants will convert agricultural and food processing waste into renewable biomethane using anaerobic digestion and will be connected to the national gas grid by the end of 2025. The total investment amounts to around 100 million euros, with Anaergia expecting 25 million Canadian dollars in sales. This project supports Italy's decarbonization goals and strengthens the energy supply with sustainable fuels.

Read more

EE | Planning of a new biomethane plant in Estonia

The companies Balti Biometaan OÜ and OÜ Selja are planning to build a modern biomethane plant in Selja, Estonia. The plant will produce biogas from local biodegradable waste and agricultural residues, which will be upgraded to biomethane and green CO₂. The exact location, production capacities and technical details will be determined in the next project phases. The biomethane produced could be used in industry, district heating or at filling stations in the future.

Read more

EE | Keel laying of a biomethane-powered workboat for the Estonian state fleet

The keel has been laid in Poland for a new biomethane-powered multi-purpose workboat for the Estonian State Fleet, which is due to be delivered in 2026. The 38-meter-long vessel can travel over 1,000 nautical miles on biomethane and also run on electricity for up to two hours. It will be used for buoy maintenance, waterway maintenance, scientific research, environmental and rescue operations. The hull is being built in Poland before the ship is completed in Estonia in summer 2025.

Read more

DK | Pilot project for refueling ships with e-methanol

The world's first commercial e-methanol plant has started operations in Kassø, Denmark, to produce climate-neutral fuels for shipping. The 35,000 tons of e-methanol per year are produced using green electricity from solar and wind power, hydrogen from three 17.5 MW electrolysers and CO₂ from biogas plants. The shipping company Maersk, Lego, Circle K and Novo Nordisk have already signed long-term purchase agreements. Following this pilot project, the operator of the Power-to-X plant, European Energy, is planning to build even larger production plants in Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and the USA.

Read more (D)

BR | Petrobas publishes first tender round for biomethane

On 6 January 2025, Petrobras published its first tender for the purchase of biomethane in order to drive forward its decarbonization strategy. The initiative comprises fixed supply contracts from 2026 with terms of up to 11 years and various points of receipt, including refineries, power plants and the gas distribution network. According to the company itself, it is in a position to acquire volumes that are three to four times greater than the average daily production of biomethane in the country, which according to public records is around 220,000 m³/day. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for May 2025, with strict quality standards and certificates of origin required.

Read more

BR | Orizon secures financing for biomethane plant in Brazil

The Brazilian waste recycling company Orizon Valorização de Resíduos has signed a USD 43 million (EUR 41.7 million) financing agreement with Banco do Nordeste do Brasil (BNB) for the construction of a biomethane plant in the state of Pernambuco. The plant, which is already in the final stages of construction, will produce 130,000 m³ of biomethane per day. A supply contract with the regional gas supplier Copergás secures the purchase of 60,000 m³ per day. The biomethane will be obtained from landfill biogas from Orizon's local ecopark, which was previously used to generate electricity.

Read more