New task force for the accelerated ramp-up of biomethane in Germany
With this task force, GAS- UND WASSERSTOFFWIRTSCHAFT aims to strengthen the production of biomethane in Germany on a sustainable scale. The Biomethane Task Force brings together expertise from the gas industry and along the entire biomethane value chain to promote the visibility and market development of this renewable energy source.
Biomethane will be a building block in the climate-neutral operation of vehicles, industrial plants and heat generators. As a renewable, storable and flexible molecule, it can decarbonise existing infrastructure and at the same time contribute to security of supply . To accelerate the exploitation of this potential, the association Die GAS- UND WASSERSTOFFWIRTSCHAFT is now launching the Biomethane Task Force. The new initiative brings together the long-standing expertise of the gas industry with that of biomethane specialists.
The current key points of the federal government’s planned Building Modernisation Act underline the political importance of climate-neutral fuels for future heat supply. If CO2-neutral gases are to play a greater role in the future, reliable framework conditions for their domestic production are needed now. The Biomethane Task Force therefore also sees itself as an industrial policy initiative to synchronise supply and demand.
The initiative aims to accelerate the widespread ramp-up of biomethane and advocate for policy frameworks so that investments in production, infrastructure and use can once again be planned. While the European Commission has set an ambitious target of 35 billion cubic metres of biomethane by 2030 with RePowerEU, Germany is in danger of falling behind in building the necessary capacity. Countries such as France and Italy have long since created reliable investment conditions and are consistently pushing ahead with expansion.
The current market situation is characterised by the tension between climate protection targets on the one hand and restrictions on the other. Timm Kehler, CEO of the German Gas and Hydrogen Industry Association, explains: “Biomethane can become a key pillar of climate-neutral gas supply. However, the necessary guidelines are currently lacking. With the expiry of the Gas Network Access Ordinance and the EEG subsidy, as well as the unclear implementation of the EU internal gas market package, uncertainty is arising among consumers and investment in new production capacities is slowing down.”
In addition to stable foundations, the market needs instruments to stimulate demand. Among other things, the task force is advocating the implementation of the green gas quota, which has met with broad public approval, as shown by a recent survey conducted by the opinion research institute Civey. In it, 65.9 per cent of the 2,500 homeowners and favoured feeding green gas into their heating systems to make them climate-neutral. 18.9 per cent were against it, while 15.2 per cent answered “Don’t know”.
The task force is supported by existing members of the association and leading companies in the biomethane industry, including Biogeen, DAH Group, Nawaro, Balance Renewable Energies, SEFE, Uniper, Verbio, Trading Hub Europe and anew climate. The initiative is supported by the New Gases Transformation Path project of the industry associations BDEW, DVGW and DIE GAS- UND WASSERSTOFFWIRTSCHAFT.
