Task 37: Energy from Biogas
Task 37: Energy from Biogas

04-2026 Newsletter Task 37

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Newsletter IEA Bioenergy Task 37: 04/2026

Reports and Statistics

 

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Towards carbon neutrality in on-farm biomethane production from break crops
In the newest case story Task 37 describes the Apsley farms biomethane plant located in Hampshire UK. It combines traditional practices with innovative technologies to optimise bioenergy production, reduce carbon emissions and enhance sustainability. It is the UK’s third-largest biomethane plant, and has been supplying renewable natural gas to the UK gas grid since 2014. It operates one of the world’s largest crop-based digesters which, at 89 m long and 9 m deep, holds 18,000 m³ of digestate in an innovative lagoon design.
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Denmark’s Progress on Biofuels
The latest issue of IEA Bioenergy Magazine, Task 39, features a country report on Denmark’s biofuels production and development. Key takeaways include: 1) Biomass remains Denmark’s largest renewable energy contributor. 2) Biodiesel output holds steady at 200,000 tonnes/year.
3) Denmark is investing €1.35 billion in biochar, with its first full-scale pyrolysis plant operational since 2024. An extended chapter is dedicated to biogas showing that biogas production now supplies nearly 50% of the national gas demand. Explore the full magazine and feature article for more insights into Denmark’s renewable energy transition.
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IEA Bioenergy Task 36: Advanced sorting technologies for Food Waste
With over one billion tons of food waste generated annually worldwide, contributing 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, effective sorting technologies are critical for environmental sustainability and resource recovery. This case story of a Task 36 report focuses on Germany, which generates approximately 11 million tons of food waste per year, nearly 20% of EU’s total volume. The economic losses of this German food waste are estimated at around 30 billion euros annually, while it also is resposible for 4% of Germands greenhouse gas emissions. This report by IEA Bioenergy TCP Task 36 (Material and Energy Valorisation of Waste in a Circular Economy) provides an overview of the food waste sorting technologies available in the market from mechanical systems to artificial intelligence (AI) applications. 
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UN report: Serbia well-positioned to rapidly expand biomethane
A UN Development Programme (UNDP) report highlights Serbia’s significant potential to rapidly grow its biomethane sector, using agricultural waste and organic materials to replace fossil fuels, potentially covering 6% of total gas needs by 2030 and over 12% by 2050, with substantial impacts on reducing energy import reliance for industry, households, and even transport. The report, supported by Switzerland, Sweden, and the EIB, identifies ample feedstock and outlines policy directions for developing this crucial renewable energy source from a standing start. 
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EBA statistical report 2025
In December 2025 EBA released its 15th statistical report. This yearly report offers the most comprehensive overview of the current status and future potential of Europe’s biogas and biomethane sectors. It covers all the EU-27 Member States as well as Iceland, Serbia, Norway, Switzerland, the UK and Ukraine. The report features in-depth analysis of the European energy landscape, the diverse applications of biogases, digestate and bio-CO₂ production, and the sectors’ economic contribution to Europe. It also includes detailed country-by-country profiles. With EU-27 gas consumption at 332 bcm, and 273 bcm still imported, the report highlights the urgent need to scale domestic, renewable gas solutions. The report reveals modest growth on biogas and biomethane production (22 bcm in 2024, compared to 21.7 bcm in 2023), which covers 6% of the EU’s natural gas consumption. 
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Future prospects for the German biogas industry
Biogas can replace natural gas much more quickly and comprehensively than previously assumed by the German federal government. This is the conclusion of a new study by the Institute for Future Energy and Material Flow Systems (IZES gGmbH) in collaboration with the German Biogas Association. The results call into question the current power plant strategy and show that expensive fossil fuel lock-in effects can be avoided. According to the study, biogas could replace significant amounts of natural gas in the electricity and heating sectors as well as hydrogen in numerous applications by the mid-2030s – either through flexible on-site power generation or processing into biomethane. This contradicts the thesis that Germany must build new H2-ready gas-fired power plants on a large scale in order to ensure security of supply. Biogas has much more potential than officially assumed, both in power generation and in processing into biomethane and material use.
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ABC Biogas in America 2026 Report
On February 24 2026 the American Biogas Council (ABC) published its 2026 report on statistics, updated biogas map and new developments. It’s an easy to read summary showing that biogas is progressing in the USA despite Trumps restrictive policy.
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Growing demand for biomethane underscores LNG’s direction of travel
Industry coalition SEA-LNG has published its annual ‘View from the Bridge’ report, highlighting 2025 as a year of strong growth in LNG, liquefied biomethane (LBM/bio-LNG) and e-methane emissions reductions, costs and availability. With LNG powered vessels ordered in 2025 accounting for 79% of alternative-fuelled tonnage, up from 67% in 2024, the LNG-powered global fleet both operating and on-order, including LNG carriers, today represents 10% of the global fleet by dead weight tonnage. LNG bunkering is now offered in 222 ports globally.
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Sales of NGV/bioNGV vehicles in France
Not surprising, NGV vehicle registrations have become anecdotal in the passenger car segment. The reason for this is that the range of vehicles on offer has become virtually non-existent, a direct consequence of the gradual withdrawal of major manufacturers, constrained by CO2 regulations focused on exhaust emissions. According to data published by the French Chamber of Commerce (CCFA), only eight light vehicles running on natural gas were registered in France in 2025, compared to 81 in 2024. In the heavy-duty segment (> 5.1 tons), NGV totaled 1,470 registrations in 2025, twice as many as electric heavy-duty vehicles (670).
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Renewable Carbon Initiative report presents 11 LCAs for renewable carbon-based products
In Germany, the extended, second version of the report, the Renewable Carbon Initiative, summarizes and presents eleven peer-reviewed lifecycle assessment (LCA) case studies – representing the highest possible scientific standard – that examine the carbon footprint of materials and products made from renewable carbon compared to fossil-based products.
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Grid transformation plan for renewable gases
At the end of 2024, 19 Swiss gas network operators and the two supporting associations SVGW and VSG joined forces to form Initiative CH42 in order to work together toward a common goal: transforming the Swiss gas network in order to advance the de-fossilization of the energy supply. While today it is still mainly fossil natural gas that is transported through the networks and delivered to customers, by 2050 at the latest the gas network should only contain renewable gases. The first results report, published on January 21, 2026, is based on comprehensive online surveys of transport and distribution network operators. In a European comparison, Switzerland has the second-highest share of renewables in the network with 12% after Denmark. The first report showed that a large proportion of the existing distribution networks are already fundamentally hydrogen-compatible. In the transport network, too, the material basis of the pipelines is considered fundamentally “H2-ready”.
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Sustainable biofeedstock supply chains for advanced biofuels
Advanced biofuels are expected to play a key role in the decarbonisation of the European transport sector, particularly in hard-to-abate segments such as aviation, maritime transport, and heavy-duty road vehicles. However, significant uncertainties remain regarding the most optimal supply chain strategies for the large-scale deployment of advanced biofuels. The present report, commissioned by Concawe, in collaboration with Utrecht University and TNO, presents a comprehensive, cost-optimised analysis of sustainable biofeedstock supply chains for advanced biofuel production across the EU-27 + UK for 2030 and 2050 The study focuses on the main lignocellulosic feedstocks listed under Annex IX of the Renewable Energy Directive. It applies a spatially explicit supply chain optimisation model, which integrates high-resolution biomass availability data, geospatial transport modelling, and spatially explicit information on EU industrial and transport infrastructure. The modelling framework also incorporates techno-economic data for two representative conversion process technologies, Gasification and Fischer–Tropsch (GFT) and Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL), evaluated under centralised and decentralised configurations.
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Engie: Biomethane could supply 20% of French gas needs by 2030
ENGIE is one of Europe’s major player in the energy transition, whose purpose is to accelerate the transition towards a carbon-neutral economy. With more than 90,000 employees in 30 countries, the Group covers the entire energy value chain, from production to infrastructures and sales. ENGIE’s roadmap includes three main objectives: 10 TWh of annual biomethane production in Europe by 2030; €3 billioninvested in biomethane production capacity; 30 TWh of biomethane soldby 2030. This expansion will cover production activities in eight European countries: France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, Belgium, and Poland. France has overtaken Germany as the EU’s largest installed capacity, with over 800 injection sites. The growth target is 44 TWh of biomethane injection by 2030, nearly tripling current operational capacity. A mandatory biomethane quota for gas suppliers will be introduced in 2026, starting at 0.48% and increasing to 4.15% by 2028 helping to achieve the goals.
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U.S. Biogas Investment Tops $2B in 2025
The U.S. biogas sector moved firmly into scale territory in 2025, surpassing $2 billion in new project investment and bringing the national total to nearly 2,600 operating systems. According to the American Biogas Council, 70 facilities began operations over the past year, increasing overall methane capture capacity by 7.5% to approximately 780.7 billion cubic feet (22 BCM) annually. Landfill gas systems remain the primary source of captured biogas in the U.S. Landfill projects account for roughly 72% of total national capture volume (72%). In 2025, 20 new landfill facilities came online, bringing the total to 599 nationwide. 13% of captured volumes derives from agricultural plants. Even as RNG expands, electricity generation remains the sector’s largest application by project count. Approximately three-quarters of all U.S. biogas facilities produce power, and about 55% of total captured biogas is directed to electricity markets. 
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Dark doldrums? Biogas steps in!
Biogas can be stored and can compensate for fluctuations in the electricity supply from wind and PV when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing—in so-called dark doldrums. There are currently just under 9,000 biogas plants that can take on this additional task. The German Agency for renewable energies (FNR) has created a public available website (Visuflex) highlighting in detail the system-friendly electricity generation from biogas showing residual load, biogas coverage and corresponding compensations.
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Golden opportunity for America’s heartland to extend U.S. energy dominance
New research published in February by Vanguard Renewables reveals how America’s heartland is sitting on a massive, untapped energy resource that could transform American agriculture while positioning the U.S. to dominate the rapidly expanding maritime fuel market. The analysis shows that using Midwestern agricultural waste—particularly crop residues and food waste—can generate approximately 1,580 trillion Btu of renewable natural gas, more than eight times the current RNG market. When upgraded and liquefied, RNG becomes Bio-LNG, an excellent drop-in fuel. However, a critical policy gap threatens to leave this opportunity unrealized. Because ocean-going vessels are excluded from the Renewable Fuel Standard, Bio-LNG used in maritime applications cannot access the same renewable fuel credit value as other fuel uses.
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Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP)
The opening session of the 2026 GBEP Webinar Series, organized in partnership with FAO’s South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) Programme, brought together experts from Europe and China to explore joint opportunities for advancing biogas and biomethane development. The event showcased the tremendous added value of cross-regional knowledge exchange on renewable energy solutions that simultaneously support climate goals, rural development, and sustainable agriculture. While Europe’s biogas sector is driven largely by energy security and decarbonization, China’s development model is anchored in soil health, nutrient recycling, and environmental protection. These complementary strengths create a strong basis for enhanced cooperation under the SSTC partnership. The webinar underscored how capacity building activities can act as a bridge between technological leaders, emerging markets, and countries in the Global South.
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Global Biomethane Output to More Than Double by 2030
Global biomethane production is set to more than double by 2030, but the EU remains far off its 35 billion cubic meter (bcm) ambition, according to the International Energy Agency’s Gas Market Report 2025. The IEA projects global biomethane output to rise by 11 bcm over 2024-2030, reaching around 21 bcm by the end of the decade. Growth will be driven by new capacity in Europe and North America, Brazil and India. Europe’s biomethane production is expected to expand by over 10% annually, hitting 10 billion bcm by 2030. That pace, however, “is nowhere near sufficient” to meet the EU’s non-binding 35 billion bcm/year target, the agency warns. 
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Bio-CO₂ from biomethane: Closing the carbon loop, opening market potential
According to EBA data, the biogases sector is set to lead bio-CO₂ capture in Europe by 2027. By 2040, biomethane plants in the EU could capture up to 89 million tons of CO₂ per year—making a significant contribution to the EU’s overall carbon capture target of 344 million tons annually. As Europe accelerates its path to climate neutrality, capturing and utilizing biogenic CO₂ from biomethane is becoming a key lever to cut emissions, strengthen energy security, and boost industrial competitiveness. This domestic carbon source supports the decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors, enables negative emissions, and helps build circular, climate-resilient value chains. The white paper, published late September, explores the climate impact of biogenic CO2 use or storage, the main utilisation avenues and perspective markets opportunities. The paper underlines as well current obstacles to and opportunities for the further take-up of BIO-CCS and Bio-CCU solutions, summarises best cases, and concludes with a set of policy recommendations. 

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2025 Annual statistics of the Swiss gas industry
The annual statistics of the VSG provide a detailed breakdown of imports and consumption of natural gas and biogas. For biogas in particular, a distinction is made between imports and domestic production, as well as the various types of consumption (transport, grid feed-in, heating, CHP). Biogas accounts for around 10% of total gas consumption. While domestic production is growing only slightly each year (7%), imports of certified gas are increasing by around 13.5%.

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Biomethane: 1.1 TWh of new installed capacity in France by 2025
The expansion of biomethane continues in gas networks, despite a slowdown in the pace of new capacity installations by 2025. According to the latest statistical data table (SDES), 803 facilities were injecting biomethane into natural gas networks in France at the end of 2025. Their maximum capacity reached 15.5 TWh per year, an 8% increase compared to the end of 2024.  The additional capacity installed in 2025 reached 1,115 GWh per year. This represents a 40% decrease compared to the 1,870 GWh installed in 2024. This decline primarily reflects a reduction in the average size of new facilities brought online. Intermediate-capacity facilities, ranging from 15 to 30 GWh per year, account for 45% of the total installed capacity. Units exceeding 30 GWh per year account for 31% of installed capacity. The new version of the multi-year energy plan sets a target of 44 TWh of biomethane feed-in by 2030. On a quarterly basis, this corresponds to 11 TWh. Current volumes therefore remain below this trajectory.
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