EBA statistical report 2024 – France and Italy leading the charge

The EBA marked the report launch via a webinar which included guest speakers from the IEA and the Florence School of Regulation. The 4.9 bcm figure was down from the 6.4 bcm mentioned during European Biomethane Week, although that number was based on the total capacity installed, which will likely be reflected in future production numbers.

The largest production increases were observed in France and Italy, not unexpected given the large increase in the number of facilities noted for the two countries in the European Biomethane Map update of July 2024.

Production increases in the non-EU27 countries (namely the UK, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland) were minimal, with almost all gains coming from the Member States. France and Italy alone were responsible for more than half of the 0.8 bcm production increase observed for 2023 in Europe.

The number of new biomethane plants installed in 2023 was 204, slightly down from the 242 installed in 2022, although still larger than any other previous years. Nevertheless, the 6.4 bcm total capacity suggests that larger plants were being installed and had yet to ramp up to full capacity.

Biomethane plants commissioned in 2023 were based on non-energy crop feedstocks although this trend is not new. Since 2020 no energy crop biomethane plants have been commissioned, coinciding with a rise in biomethane production outpacing non-upgraded biogas production since 2019. These developments reflect a growing consensus that the use of energy crops poses challenges due to concerns over resource competition, and biogas offers the greatest value when upgraded to biomethane, particularly for hard-to-electrify sectors. Notably, the heavy transport sector, which has been challenging to electrify, places significant value on the sustainability of waste-based feedstocks over energy crops.

One of the sections new to the current edition of the statistical report is regarding biogenic CO2 – while the EBA has been vocal about the benefits of this co-product over the last few years, they have now included statistics for captured CO2 from biomethane plants.

Over 20 biomethane plants with CO2 capture were in operation in 2023, with an estimated biogenic CO2 production of under 200,000 tonnes with the majority situated in Italy. The EBA estimated that the total biogenic CO2 capture possible from both biomethane and biogas production amounted to 29 Mt in 2023, which represents 71% of the total CO2 usage in Europe in 2022.

More realistically, the EBA estimates that more than 650,000 tonnes of biogenic CO2 could be captured from Bio-Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (CCUS) plants by 2027. In the short term, some governments are offering incentives for CCUS projects, namely Sweden and Denmark but in the longer term, demand from more mature carbon removal and e-fuel markets is expected to boost investment and biogenic CO2 production.