According to the annual statistical report on the European anaerobic digestion industry and markets, published by the European Biogas Association, Europe counts with 17,240 biogas and 367 biomethane plants.
This remarkable number, representing a 18% growth, reflects the record-high growth in terms of number of plants and production in Europe where in certain countries, such as the UK, the number of biogas plants has even doubled in just one year.
The report clarifies that despite this significant increase, the overall rise of the number of plants was unequally distributed throughout all European countries. On the one hand, there are countries who haven’t commissioned any new plants and have seen only minor developments (such as Austria, Czech Republic, Hungary), and on the other, there are other countries who have increased their biogas market with a substantial number of new biogas installations such as the U.K., France and Belgium.
National associations and third-party observers quantify the total amount of electricity produced from biogas at 63.3 TWh, which corresponds to the annual consumption of 14.6 million European households.
Along with the growth in the biogas sector, a steady increase was also documented in the biomethane sector, with 87 new biogas upgrading units commissioned. Germany leads the growth rate, followed by Sweden, rated as the “European front runner in biomethane production and especially, in the use of biomethane in transport” and the UK.
EBA comes to the conclusion that the numbers shown in the report reflect “a clear development in Europe, showing that the biogas industry is a mature one, capable of withstanding less profitable times while able to successfully seek for opportunities in the meantime”. Positive trends are then expected to continue in the short future.
The Biogas Report 2015 is available free of charge for members at the EBA website’s members’ area. The report is also available for purchase by contacting the EBA secretariat.
