BIOMETHANE: Setting a target that is fit for foood and the climate

The proposed Gas Regulation relies on the Member States shall ensure that by 2030 at least 35 bcm assumption that the gas infrastructure and gas market of sustainable biomethane is produced and injected into development measures set out in the RepowerEU action the natural gas system, with the aim of safeguarding plan will smooth the way to increase this figure to 35bcm. [...] IFEU27 calculated the consequences of setting a binding 35bcm biomethane target in a scenario where the projected volumes of manure and agricultural residues by the gas industry do not meet expectations, and the use of primary energy crops is not explicitly prohibited and found that the area needed for biogas from maize would take up 5 % of the total arable land in the EU. [...] Therefore, the authors recommend that as a next step it is necessary to “explore the potential to integrate the biogas produced by AD plants into the natural gas grid and the supply of electricity production into the existing electricity grid. [...] Sustainability analysis of agricultural feedstocks FURTHER RESEARCH NEEDED A full review of the economic aspects of livestock farming and manure production needs to be carried out to elicit realistic examples of the true economic value of biogas and digestate alongside the production of meat, milk and eggs. [...] And in the Italian case studies, about 65% of the nitrogen requirements of the crops are met with recycled digestate, and 100% of the potassium and phosphorus requirements105.