Well-known global fuel giants such as Shell, BP and TotalEnergies have ramped up efforts over the past year to purchase biogas-producing companies as pressure mounts to reduce the carbon intensity of their energy products over the coming decades.

Biogas is produced through anaerobic digestion (AD). The AD sector is in its infancy in Ireland, but is well developed in many other parts of the world.

In December, London-based BP completed its acquisition of leading US biogas producing company Archaea. Archaea operates 50 biogas and landfill gas-to-energy plants across the US. The company has a further 80 projects in the pipeline, with the potential for a five-fold growth in biogas production by 2030. The sale was agreed for $3.3bn, as well as around $800m of net debt, and it builds on BP’s existing biogas business.

French company TotalEnergies is rumoured to be in talks to take over Polska Grupa Biogazowa. The Polish firm owns 15 biogas plants and two solar photovoltaic farms, with another 13 projects in the pipeline.

In 2021, Total acquired Fonroche Biogaz, a company that designs, builds and operates AD units in France. The company has close to seven biogas plants in operation, with another four in the pipeline.

Last year, global fuel giant Shell revealed it reached an agreement to buy Nature Energy, the largest producer of biogas in Europe, with 14 biogas plants in operation.