Biogas plant in Sindelfingen begins operations

In March, Sindelfingen Municipal Utilities commissioned a new plant for converting biogas into biomethane. On the site of the former district landfill near Stuttgart, raw biogas from a fermentation plant in Leonberg is to be processed into feed-in-grade biomethane and fed into the gas grid. The project is part of an inter-municipal initiative to utilise organic waste from the surrounding districts and aims to gradually replace fossil natural gas and strengthen the regional energy supply.

According to the project participants, the raw biogas will be processed using membrane technology to achieve a methane purity of over 97 per cent. This is expected to feed around 40,000 megawatt-hours of renewable energy into the natural gas grid annually. In addition, the carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced during processing is separated and marketed as a resource in food-grade quality.

The districts of Böblingen and Esslingen, as well as the town of Sindelfingen, are involved. In total, the investments for the fermentation plant and biogas processing amount to around 54 million euros. Together, the plants are expected to save around 18,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually.

From the perspective of those involved in the project, the plant strengthens energy self-sufficiency, as organic waste is collected, processed and used for energy locally. Value creation thus remains within the region, whilst at the same time reducing dependence on energy imports.

Managing Director Dr Karl Peter Hoffmann explained at the commissioning ceremony that that the biomethane produced replaces fossil natural gas and is used specifically for climate-friendly district heating. This would significantly increase the share of renewable energy and improve security of supply for local households.