France could replace the share of imported Russian gas with biomethane obtained from agricultural waste by 2030, the Independent reported.
According to the publication, French farmers supported Europe in the fight against their dependence on Russian gas by launching small businesses to produce biofuels.
“Very shortly, small rural gas stations that feed hundreds or thousands of nearby households are unlikely to displace the huge flows of Russian gas – it is supplied to factories, enterprises, and living areas,” the Independent adds.
At the same time, critics believe that farmers should grow food instead of switching crops for gas, especially against the backdrop of skyrocketing food prices.
“Still, biogas is part of the puzzle of reducing Europe’s energy dependency. The European Biogas Association believes that the European Union will be able to rapidly increase the production of biomethane for further injection into gas pipelines,” the newspaper reports.
As in the rest of Europe, the share of biomethane in France’s energy sector is small, but the industry itself is thriving, the article says.
Industry officials say that Biomethane covered nearly one percent of the country’s needs in 2021 and will rise to at least two percent this year. And by 2030, in their opinion, the share of biogas will be 20% of total consumption, which is more than France imported from Russia last year.
At the same time, the publication points out that in Germany, the largest producer of biogas in Europe, the government is reducing the share of crops for fuel production. The allowed percentage of corn for biogas plants will be reduced from 40% to 30% by 2026, while financial incentives will be provided for companies to switch to waste products like manure and straw.
To learn more about biomethane production in Europe, click here.