Biogas and biomethane production in Europe could double by 2030 and more than quadruple by 2050, according to the European Biogas Association (EBA).

Around 19,000 anaerobic digestion (AD) plants are in operation around Europe producing 167 terawatt hours (TWh) of biogas.

There are also 725 AD plants in operation producing around 26TWh of biomethane.

Many of these plants are farm-based.

While AD is a well-established technology in many European countries, a new report from the EBA shows that overall production is on track to increase to 467TWh by 2030.

This will be partially driven by the increasing use of biomethane to fuel Europe's natural-gas vehicle fleet, which is said will comprise of around 13.2m vehicles by 2030.

In comparison, just 3.9TWh of biomethane was used to fuel natural-gas vehicles on European roads in 2020.

Biomethane

Biomethane is upgraded biogas that can be used as a substitute for natural gas.

The biomethane market continues to grow significantly across Europe, with the exception of Ireland, where just a handful of plants are in operation.

European biomethane production in 2019 increased by 15% from the previous year, the biggest increase in biomethane plants to date.

France is leading the development of the biomethane market, with over 1,000 biomethane injection projects at different stages of development in the country.

Feedstock

The EBA says that there is a clear trend in terms of feedstock usage for biomethane production.

2013 saw the beginning of a move away from energy crops, towards agricultural residues, bio and municipal waste and sewage sludge.

From 2017, almost no new plants were established to run on energy crops, the report says.