9-2025 Newsletter Task 37
Topics:
- Task 37 Webinar: The Role of Biogas Systems in Building a Sustainable Society
- IEA Bioenergy: Country reports 2024
- IEA Bioenergy Task 37 country report 2024
- New technical reports of Task 37
- The German agriculture ministers have made important demands on biogas
- State bills tackling PFAS in biosolids advance
- Brazil’s National Climate Change Fund to finance biomethane-powered engines
- EU Public Consultation on ETS
- Biogas market awaits RFS guidance
- Roadmap towards ending Russian energy imports
- US biofuel producers get an extension of the 45Z Clean Fuels Production Tax Credit
- Polish government will facilitate the construction of direct biomethane pipelines
- EU: NECPs Assessment
- Brazil’s biomethane decree
- US EPA releases proposed rule to set 2026/27 RFS RVOs program
- Program funding on-farm digesters delays application window
- Germany: Biomass tender significantly oversubscribed
- Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Good for biomethane
Task 37 Webinar: The Role of Biogas Systems in Building a Sustainable Society
Task 37 in collaboration with Biogass Norge – the Norwegian Biogas Association organizes a free webinar on the sustainability effects associated with biogas solutions on Tuesday, 23 September 2025 from 14:30 to 16:00 CET. While the provision of biogas energy receives most attention, it is essential to observe that that biogas systems are multi-functional and part of delivering key products and services to society, such as nutrients, fodder, clean water, chemicals, and environmental services including sustainable management of natural resources.
IEA Bioenergy: Country reports 2024
The updated IEA Bioenergy Country Reports show the trends of bioenergy in the IEA Bioenergy member countries up to 2024, highlighting the role of bioenergy in their energy mix. The analysis is based on data from the 2024 IEA World Energy Balances and Renewables Information, combined with input provided by the IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee members.
The summary report presents a comparative overview of the results for the different countries. This report, together with the separate country reports, is the fourth series of country reports produced for IEA Bioenergy member countries.
IEA Bioenergy Task 37 country report 2024
The country summary report series provides a regularly updated compilation of information about the biogas industry in the Task 37 member countries, including production of biogas and biomethane, utilization of biogas and other products from anaerobic digestion, policy and financial conditions and innovative projects. The 2024 report includes updates from 12 (out of 17) member countries: Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom. Biogas production is presented for five different plant types, upgrading of biogas to biomethane for seven technologies. China has the highest number of biogas plants among the reporting IEA Bioenergy Task 37-member countries, with more than 100,000 biogas plants, followed by Germany with over 10,000 and France with over 1,600 plants. Of the other reporting countries, Brazil has more than 800 biogas plants, UK has over 700 and the others have less than 500. Germany has the highest annual biogas production, around 87 TWh/y. China produces around 81 TWh per year and the UK counts 32 TWh/y. With 364 upgrading units, France has the highest number of upgrading plants among the reporting countries. Electricity and heat generation are the most common uses of biogas in Germany, Brazil, Canada, France and Finland.
New technical reports of Task 37
In February/March 2025 Task 37 published a series of technical reports on 1) Biogas Systems in Industry: An analysis of sectorial usage, sustainability, logistics and technology development. The report focuses on GHG Scope 3 emissions and proposes three configurations for biogas integration in industry to promote sustainability by enabling emissions reductions: 1. Industry-owned biogas plants, 2. Industry partnerships with external biogas plants, and 3. The use of biomethane from the gas grid through guarantees of origin. 2) Reduction of methane emissions from biogas systems and landfills. The second report describes emissions from a variety of AD systems and landfills and discusses options to reduce the GHG using methane oxidation, through thermochemical or biochemical means. 3) Potential for Manure-based Anaerobic Digestion: Approaches in six countries. The third report reviews the motivations for the adoption of manure-based AD, the policy contexts, the main barriers and the approaches taken in six Task 37 Member countries: Canada, China, Finland, France, Norway and the United Kingdom. 4) Identification and assessment of sustainability effects associated with biogas solutions.
Finally, report 4 describes the roles of biogas solutions in different parts of society, identifying the sustainability effects observed through five lenses: 1. biogas solutions adopted in the waste and wastewater treatment sector; 2. biogas solutions adopted in agriculture/rural areas; 3. the use of digestate/biofertilizer; 4. the use of biogas energy, biomethane and biogenic CO2; and 5. society at large.
The German agriculture ministers have made important demands on biogas
At their conference on March 28, 2025, the agriculture ministers of the German federal states issued several significant demands regarding biogas, which the industry welcomes. In their resolutions (see page 68), the ministers acknowledge the need to improve the biomass package and call for the removal of bureaucratic hurdles. They also call for the continuation of the existing Gas Network Access Ordinance and the promotion of plant mergers. In the area of greenhouse gas quota trading, they call for a tightening of certification requirements for foreign projects and the consistent prosecution of fraud cases. Schleswig-Holstein intends to submit a motion on biogas to the Bundesrat. This motion calls for further adjustments to the biomass pact to promote greater flexibility in the plant portfolio, among other things.
More (in German)
State bills tackling PFAS in biosolids advance
Washington is poised to become the latest US State to enact legislation addressing PFAS contamination in sewage sludge after a senate bill (5033) requiring testing passed the legislature this week. It comes as state regulators and water utilities struggle to identify solutions for contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. To date, state legislators have introduced 20 bills addressing PFAS in biosolids in 14 states in 2025, according to Safer States, a national alliance of environmental health organizations. Most of those bills require some form of testing of biosolids for PFAS contamination. Some either ban the use of biosolids as fertilizer outright or set very tight contamination levels that biosolids must meet before they can be used.
Brazil’s National Climate Change Fund to finance biomethane-powered engines
In Brazil, the National Climate Change Fund (FNMC) this year will start financing the acquisition of heavy-duty vehicles powered by biomethane, as well as the replacement of diesel engines with versions compatible with the renewable fuel. The measure is considered a victory by the Brazilian Biogas and Biomethane Association (ABiogás) and seen not only as an instrument to promote biomethane, but as a step forward in the process of decarbonizing transportation and mobility in Brazil. The Climate Fund is an instrument of the National Policy on Climate Change (PNMC) that finances projects and studies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change, with applications in several areas, such as urban mobility and energy transition.
EU Public Consultation on ETS
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the review of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), which is open until July 8. The consultation includes a potential extension of ETS coverage to include the anaerobic digestion of waste. The ETS is a key policy tool for achieving the EU’s climate targets. A review of some of the system’s elements is scheduled for completion by 2026. This review will include an assessment of whether additional policies are necessary to meet these targets. The market stability reserve (MSR) is also due for review by 2026. The ETS and the MSR are currently being evaluated to inform these reviews.
Biogas market awaits RFS guidance
The U.S. EPA is overdue to set new alternative fuel targets under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The regulation sets a certain amount of non-petroleum fuel credits that refiners and importers of petroleum-based fuels must acquire in a given year. The U.S. EPA initially set those levels, known as Renewable Volume Obligations (RVOs), annually, but it chose to set the targets for three years in 2023. With those targets set to expire at the end of this year, many fuel producers are wondering how aggressive the Trump administration will be for the next round of RVOs. The market for transportation fuels made from biogas is slumping amid the uncertainty. The waiver would apply to 2024 targets, and it’s looking like the market may need another waiver again this year as production lags behind demand. But no one in the fuels industry quite knows what to expect.
Roadmap towards ending Russian energy imports
In response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the European Commission launched the REPowerEU Plan in May 2022. The plan called for ending Europe’s dependency on Russian energy by enhancing energy efficiency and accelerating the deployment of renewable energy and diversifying supplies. Since then, additional renewable energy deployment and energy savings have enabled a reduction of more than 60 billion cubic meters (bcm) annually in gas imports between 2022 and 2024. Despite these efforts, in 2024, the EU still imported 52 bcm of Russian gas (32 bcm via pipeline and 20 bcm via liquified natural gas (LNG) or around 19% of total EU gas imports). The present Roadmap outlines the EU’s strategy to phase out remaining Russian energy imports. Action at EU level is needed to phase out those gas supplies and at the same time ensure alternative supplies from international partners via LNG or pipeline gas. Despite advancing the energy transition, gas will remain part of the EU’s energy mix for the coming decades. To ensure stable supplies, measures aimed at phasing out Russian gas should be accompanied by efforts to diversify the EU’s supply portfolio. This could be achieved through joint actions including demand aggregation at the EU level.
US biofuel producers get an extension of the 45Z Clean Fuels Production Tax Credit
The existing 45Z tax credit, established by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, provides a tax credit for the production and sale of low-emission transformation fuels. The credit begins at 20 cents per gallon for non-aviation fuels and 35 cents per gallon for SAF.
Under the bill, the 45Z Clean Fuels Production Tax Credit would be extended until the end of 2031. The bill also modifies the 45Z to prevent the use of certain foreign feedstocks, such as used cooking oil from China. Fuels for the tax credit under the bill would be limited to feedstocks produced or grown in the United States, Canada or Mexico. The bill would also limit federal agencies from attributing any greenhouse gas emissions to “indirect land use change.” There is also a special provision that opens up the 45Z tax credit to transportation fuels derived from animal manure.
Polish government will facilitate the construction of direct biomethane pipelines
In connection with deregulation work, the government has prepared amendments that will broaden the scope of regulations for direct pipelines. These changes will facilitate the construction of a direct gas pipeline to supply biogas, agricultural biogas and biomethane, the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Poland announced. The ability to supply biomethane directly to the end user will mean that producers will not have to incur the cost or time of connecting to the gas grid. It will also make it possible to supply biomethane without the intermediation of gas operators where the construction of a gas network is difficult or uneconomical.
EU: NECPs Assessment
On 28/05, the Commission published the final National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP) evaluation. Belgium, Estonia, and Poland have yet to submit final plans. Most Member States addressed biomethane recommendations, aiming for 25.85 bcm annual production by 2030. Only 7 member states set specific biomethane targets, Sweden offering financial aid without a target.
Brazil’s biomethane decree
Brazil’s mines and energy ministry is drafting a decree that will regulate the national decarbonization program for natural gas producers and importers and the incentive program for biomethane, as established by the fuel for the future law.
The document, which underwent public consultation this month, is expected to be published soon. The program aims to promote the research, production, commercialization and use of biomethane and biogas in the energy matrix. The main measure consists of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the creation of a biomethane mandate starting in 2026.
US EPA releases proposed rule to set 2026/27 RFS RVOs program
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on June 13 released a proposed rule to set strong 2026 and 2027 Renewable Fuel Standard’s (RFS) renewable volume obligations (RVOs). The rulemaking also alters the RFS to limit the participation of imported fuels and feedstocks, eliminates electricity from the program, and reduces the 2025 cellulosic RVO. The EPA is proposing to set the total 2026 RVO at 24.02 billion renewable identification numbers (RINs), a nearly 8% increase. However, the update would lower ambitions for cellulosic biofuels like those created from decomposing organic waste in landfills or anaerobic digesters. Industry groups expressed disappointment with the update, called Set 2, saying the EPA is underrating biogas producers’ ability to increase production over the next three years. The RFS is the most far-reaching incentive program for biofuels in the country, and its production targets strongly influence the price for credits sold by such producers.
USDA program funding on-farm digesters delays application window
The Trump administration is remaking the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) with its own priorities. The program has delayed the application period, which funds energy technologies installed on farms including solar, wind and anaerobic digestion. REAP is one of the largest programs in USDA that funds waste-related projects. It provides both grant and loan funding options for applicants. The USDA said in a statement the delay was “due to the overwhelming response and continued popularity of the program resulting in a backlog of applicants.” The agency said it would reopen the application period for fiscal year 2026 on Oct. 1, 2025.
Germany: Biomass tender significantly oversubscribed
A total of 244 bids were successful. Of these, two bids for 0.3 MW were for new plants and 242 bids for 187 MW were for existing plants. The average volume-weighted award value in this round, at 16.53 ct/kWh, is significantly below the previous round (17.33 ct/kWh). Once again, no bids were received in the tender for biomethane plants for April 1, 2025. The support ceiling was simply too low and the market still suffered from the fake certificates from China.
More (in German)
Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act: Good for biomethane
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed into law ushered in a major shift in tax policy and public benefits that could benefit certain waste and recycling activities, industry groups say. The bill gutted many clean energy credits but extended those for alternative fuels. The final law extends the Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Tax Credit an extra two years, through the end of 2029. The provision, created by 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act, incentivizes the production of fuels created from non-petroleum sources like landfill gas and organic waste. Other wins for the waste-to-fuels sector include the preservation of tax credit transferability, which allows clean fuel credit generators to sell those credits to businesses looking to lower their tax bills. In contrary, the final bill terminates the Section 45V Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit on Jan. 1, 2028, five years earlier than originally enacted.