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• The purpose of the document is to promote the valorization of livestock droppings and organic waste to obtain biogas and use it for the generation of heat, electricity or gaseous fuel
• The objective is to generate 2 TWh/year of biogas by 2030, and regulatory, economic and social measures are already being enabled to increase the existing facilities
• The Government has approved an aid line of 3 million euros to connect biomethane plants to the gas pipeline network.
The Executive Council has approved the Catalan Biogas Strategy 2024-2030 and its corresponding action plan. The document proposes concrete actions and measures so that this energy resource, in addition to contributing to the decarbonisation of Catalan society, is the axis of a new integrated model of waste management and organic materials from which products with added value can be obtained . In fact, and within the framework of this Strategy, the Government has authorized today to endow with 3 million euros a line of aid for the execution of installation works for the injection of biomethane in the gas pipeline network of Catalonia.
The purpose of the Strategy is to promote the valorization of livestock droppings and organic waste to obtain biogas and use it for the generation of heat, electricity or biomethane, and bio-fertilizer. In this sense, it establishes objectives in the environmental, energy, territorial, economic and social fields; identifies barriers to meeting these goals, and plans actions to overcome them.
Thus, among other objectives, it is planned to achieve the management for the production of biogas 8.5 million tons of organic materials, three times more than at present; multiply by 3.3 the production of primary energy from biogas, up to 2 TWh per year; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 350,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. It is committed to prioritizing a model of biogas plants close to the origin of the waste in order to reduce its environmental impact, and which allow the creation of a decentralized system of distributed production and consumption of renewable energy, which generates activity and employment and give rise to the promotion of local energy communities.
Among the different measures foreseen in the Strategy, actions are included ranging from administrative simplification to facilitate the treatment of organic waste near the place where it originates, to aid lines for the construction of new plants or for the connection of biomethane plants to the gas pipeline network, through actions such as encouraging and developing fertilizers obtained in the process of digesting organic waste. In this regard, the Government has already opened an aid line endowed with 46 million euros aimed at promoting the installation of biogas plants in small and medium-sized farms as a priority, and today it has authorized a line of 3 million to finance all the installation works for the injection of biomethane into the gas pipeline network in Catalonia.
All these measures should allow the installation of up to 246 MW of power with biogas, which would be equivalent to around 12 new plants every year. It is estimated that a necessary investment of up to 2,280 million euros, mainly of private initiative, and the generation of around 460 direct jobs and 1,100 indirect ones.
The Catalan Biogas Strategy 2024-2030 is part of Catalonia's transition towards a new cleaner, sustainable, democratic and fair energy model, which aims to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, which is characterized in the Energy Prospect of Catalonia 2050, and also in the Circular Economy Roadmap. In addition, it allows the agri-food sector to find alternatives for a more sustainable management of its waste and to diversify its activity.