France’s new biomethane plant is a compact version of the biogas treatment facility SmarCycle PSA built by ETW Energietechnik. It has an operational capacity of approximately 385 standard cubic metres per hour of biogas, which will be used specifically for the French market. Rytec is the company responsible for the installation of the plant’s fermentation line.
Renewable Energy Magazine believes that by 2030, France may be able to cover 1/3 of its gas demands with biogas. Currently, the country’s energy industry is monitoring the usage of the commodity, and modifying the mix further in order to make the resource more efficient and environmentally friendly.
“France is currently one of the most important markets for biomethane plants in Europe,” said Marco Weiss, the Managing Director of ETW Energietechnik GmbH. “In the recent past we had a strong demand for compact plants in the performance class up to about 500 standard cubic meters of biogas per hour. Together with our French partner GASEO, we have therefore decided to integrate our ETW SmartCycle technology, already proven on larger systems, into a compact, flexible and energy efficient container concept.”
ETW Energietechnik is a German-based corporation. Since 2016, there are 17,240 biogas plants in Europe, with Germany leading the count at 10,786. Following the introduction of feed-in tariffs for renewable in the year 2000, bioenergy plants became the solution for some EU member states, providing a climate-friendly source of energy that’s independent of the weather. France is one of the biggest trade partners of Germany, and the partnership led to the creation of the SmarCycle PSA in Scherwiller.
Last year, Waste Management World reported that ETW Energietechnik also applied its expertise to the UK, partnering with Northampton gas engine specialists CooperOstlund. Together they will upgrade current gas plants to biogas systems to provide clean energy to UK customers. FXCM details how Germany serves as the UK’s second-largest export destination, as well as its largest source of imports that primarily consists of commodities including petroleum products. With Germany leading the way in renewable biogas plants, the relationship between the two countries will hopefully remain strong, even after the final Brexit deal.
France and other member nations envision 2030 as the year when they’ll be able to be more dependent on biogas, and Germany is expected to follow suit given its status as a leader in biomethane manufacturing.
Installing more renewable energy facilities will be one of France’s main objectives in the coming years. With the help of ETW Energietechnik and Rytec, France will be able to generate more jobs for its people. Apart from a cleaner environment and more jobs, the biogas industry adds to the country’s commercial tax income. The industry also helps the country save on expenses from imported crude oil.
“While in other systems an increased risk of efficiency losses and plant downtimes can be expected due to the presence of contaminants in the biogas, we can handle these conditions on the basis of our ETW SmarCycle PSA technology,” said Dr. Oliver Jende, the Sales Manager for Biomethane Plants at ETW, in the same Renewable Energy Magazine article. “With more than 150,000 operating hours, our PPE processing systems have a total availability of over 99 percent.”
ETW Energietechnik is currently building its second plant in France within the Arcis-sur-Aube commune in the northeast. The treatment facility will have a capacity of 870 standard cubic metres of biogas per hour. The company expects that the biomethane plant will be finished before 2018 ends.
