Gas | Other
Energy security meets the circular economy : a stronger case for sustainable biomethane production in the EU
29 April 2022
The outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war has revived discussions on the EU’s dependence on fossil fuel imports from Russia. To ensure gas diversification, the EU Commission has suggested over a tenfold increase in EU biomethane production from the current ~3 billion cubic meters (bcm) to 35 bcm by 2030. While higher gas prices could provide some incentive for biomethane production in the short term, additional measures will be necessary to reach the 2030 target. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has suggested that putting a value on methane emissions (which would otherwise be emitted from the decomposition of organic waste in the agriculture and waste sectors) avoided could support biomethane production while reducing this potent GHG. This could be an interesting option for the EU to support achievement of its Global Methane Pledge commitment. The EU circular economy framework could help boost biomethane production by alleviating energy security concerns, but it requires better policy coordination. This policy brief identifies four focus areas: (a) measurement, reporting and verification of methane emissions from the agriculture and waste sectors; (b) continual improvement of best practices to mitigate methane emissions; (c) sustainable production of biomethane; and (d) responsible operation of biomethane plants.
logo cadmus Read it on Cadmus Download in open access

LATEST FSR PUBLICATIONS

Other
In the Commission’s Industrial Carbon Management Strategy it acknowledges the importance of CCUs, and that without it the EU will not succeed in its Green deal and Net Zero ambitions. [...]
Other
The Recast Directive opens the single European railway area to competition. Competition is gradually emerging across the EU but there are obvious asymmetries among Member States, in particular in the [...]
Other
As the 2021 EU urban mobility framework states, Europe is one of the most urbanised regions in the world with a huge variety of cities that are important economic and [...]
Working Paper
For decades, environmental degradation has been the focus of public opinion, academia, research centers, and institutions. This attention is motivated by increasing awareness of the severe ecological and socio-economic problems [...]
Other
This policy brief, written in May 2024, provides an overview of the international carbon market landscape and describes the status quo in terms of the degree of its integration and [...]
Working Paper
The general objective of the report is to map – quantitatively and qualitatively – the main existing policy frameworks and strategies for sustainable development (SD) and sustainability transitions (ST) in [...]

Join our community

To meet, discuss and learn in the channel that suits you best.

scroll

top