European biomethane production hits record high in 2021

: Biofuels, Natural gas
22/01/21

Combined biogas and biomethane production in Europe reached just over 200 TWh in 2021, up from 191 TWh in 2020, according to preliminary estimates by the European Biogas Association (EBA).

It said 300 new biomethane plants have started operations in the past 18 months, increasing the overall amount to 1,023. Of that number, 87pc are connected to the gas grid.

France, Italy and Demark recorded the largest increase on the number of plants last year. In France, 123 came online in the first 10 months of 2021, compared with 91 in 2020.

Biomethane could cover up to 30-40pc of EU gas consumption in 2050, with an estimated production of at least 1,000 TWh, according to projections by the EBA. But to ensure biomethane can play an increasingly important role as a renewable fuel, efficient trade should be established across Europe, EBA director Harmen Dekker said.

To simplify the transfer of biomethane and facilitate cross-border trade, registries in Austria, Denmark, the UK, the Netherlands and most recently Germany have joined the European Renewable Gas Registry (ERGaR) Certificate of Origin scheme, a Europe-wide standardised platform.

By Sophie Barthel

Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

25/01/07

Viewpoint: Australia edges towards LNG imports in 2025

Sydney, 7 January (Argus) — Australia — formerly the world's largest LNG exporter — edges closer to importing the fuel in 2025, after years of supply warnings from the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo). Anti-gas lobbying from environmental groups, new emissions laws, slumping exploration, and rising costs have all been blamed for forecasts of production falling below demand levels, even as gas use dips. Debate about the rationale and demand for LNG continues, with no buyers having signed term sales yet. But the recent purchase of the proposed 386 TJ/d (10.3mn m³/d) Outer Harbor LNG project has raised expectations that deals may occur in 2025, to alleviate winter shortfalls from 2026 onwards. Aemo is predicting southern Australia's gas output will drop by 40pc from 1,260 TJ/d in 2024 to 740 TJ/d in 2028, with four import projects proposed in the nation's south. Initial imports will most likely head to New South Wales (NSW) state, Australia's largest jurisdiction by population. NSW is largely reliant on the ExxonMobil-operated Gippsland basin joint venture for supply, and the closure of a 400 TJ/d plant at the formerly 1,150 TJ/d Longford facility this year has accelerated concerns. Australian firm Squadron Energy — owned by iron ore miner Fortescue — said its 2.4mn t/yr Port Kembla Energy Terminal in NSW is now ready for operations, which could cover NSW' entire winter demand of about 481 TJ/d, excluding gas-fired generation. Limited storage capacity exists and no new major fields are under near-term development, but increasing pipeline capacity to bring enough Queensland coal-bed methane south could prove critical. Expansion of Australian pipeline operator APA's 440 TJ/d South West Queensland pipeline could be approved in early 2025, raising gas security. LNG imports cost up to 25pc more than pipeline gas, with the AVX — Argus' assessment for month-ahead spot gas deliveries to Victoria — averaging A$12.46/GJ in 2024 t o 27 December, while the Argus Gladstone fob price — an LNG netback indicator calculated by subtracting freight and costs associated with production from the delivered price of LNG to Asia-Pacific — averaged A$16.03/GJ for the same period. On the export scene, Australian independent Santos will restart production at the 3.7mn t/yr Darwin LNG after commissioning the Barossa field in July-September 2025 . The project has withstood significant legal challenges since 2023, with Santos promising an offshore carbon capture and storage facility later this decade to offset emissions. Other Australian terminals will produce steady volumes in 2025. The Woodside-operated North West Shelf project took a 2.5mn t/yr train off line in 2024, reducing its nameplate capacity to 14.4mn t/yr. The facility will start processing about 1.5mn t/yr of onshore gas from Beach Energy and Mitsui's 250 TJ/d Waitsia plant from early 2025. Energy election Australia's federal elections must take place no later than May, in what could be a referendum on the Labor government's renewables-led vision for Australia's grid. Abolishing Coalition-era gas exploration grants, Labor finds itself wedged between critics of further gas extraction and domestic shortfalls which may be already contributing to manufacturing sector weakness. Aemo expects 13GW of gas-fired generation is required under Canberra's 2050 net zero target to firm renewables. But gas projects remain unpopular in many communities, while anti-fossil fuel member of parliaments could hold the balance of power in the next parliament, polls show. Labor is sticking to its 82pc renewables by 2030 plan, while the Coalition has said it will not be met and it would make changes to Australia's 43pc emissions reduction by 2030 target, persisting with coal until nuclear generators can be built. Regardless, it appears much more gas will be needed in the short term as coal plants retire, meaning the temptation to raid east coast LNG projects for supply will remain. By Tom Major Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Canadian prime minister Trudeau to resign

25/01/06

Canadian prime minister Trudeau to resign

Calgary, 6 January (Argus) — Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said he will resign as soon as his Liberal Party selects a new leader to run in general elections expected later this year. Calls for Trudeau to resign have been growing for months but became too much to ignore as the Liberals continued to fall further behind the Conservative Party and its leader Pierre Poilievre in polling. Recent polls indicate the centre-right Conservatives would win a majority of seats in the House of Commons if an election were held today. "If I'm having to fight internal battles, I can't be the best option in that election," Trudeau said in Ottawa this morning. Parliament was set to return from a break on 27 January, at which time Conservatives were expected to attempt to trigger an election by way of a no-confidence vote. Canada's governor general — at Trudeau's request — extended the break until 24 March. That break will buy the Liberals time to find a new leader but it will be a tall order for any successor to both unite the party and also connect with Canadians on short notice before an expected spring election. "There will be confidence votes in March," said Trudeau, whose minority government has been propped up by the New Democratic Party (NDP). The NDP has helped Trudeau survive no-confidence votes in recent months, but on 20 December vowed that it would also bring the government down when it returned to session. Trudeau was elected as a member of parliament (MP) in 2008, leader of the Liberal Party in 2013, and has been prime minister since 2015 after defeating the then Stephen Harper-led Conservatives. There is no obvious replacement for Trudeau after deputy prime minister and finance minister Chrystia Freeland resigned last month , citing "costly political gimmicks," unrestrained spending and being at odds over the approach to the "grave challenge" of aggressive US nationalism. US president-elect Donald Trump has threatened a 25pc tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico unless they tighten borders to crack down on drug trafficking and illegal migration into the US. Trudeau's plan to resign does not change the Conservative party's plans to call for new elections, Poilievre said today. "Every Liberal MP in power today and every potential leadership contender fighting for the top job helped Justin Trudeau break the country over the last nine years," he said. If elected, Poilievre plans to cut a number of environmental programs championed by the Liberals, including the carbon tax. The Conservatives support the continued use of oil and gas, exploration for hydrocarbons, and pipeline construction. The next federal election must occur on or before 25 October this year, according to the electoral calendar. By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

S Korea’s SK Energy supplies first SAF cargo to Europe

25/01/06

S Korea’s SK Energy supplies first SAF cargo to Europe

Singapore, 6 January (Argus) — South Korean refiner SK Energy has exported its first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) cargo to Europe, describing itself as the first refinery in the country to do so. The cargo was exported four months after the refiner started commercial co-processing of SAF, SK Energy said today. SK Energy completed a dedicated SAF production line at its 840,000 b/d Ulsan refinery in September 2024. The refiner has established a production capacity of around 80,000 t/yr of SAF and around 20,000 t/yr of other low-carbon products such as bio-naphtha, using bio-feedstocks such as used cooking oil (UCO) and animal fats with traditional oil production processes. SK Energy works with its affiliate SK On Trading International to secure waste-based raw material as feedstock. It is one of three South Korean refineries which are producing SAF through co-processing, with the other two being S-Oil and Hyundai Oilbank. A fourth refiner GS Caltex has not announced plans to produce SAF, but is likely studying options including co-processing. It previously supplied around 5,000 kilolitres of SAF to Japan's Narita airport via Japanese trading firm Itochu on 13 September 2024. South Korea plans to require all international flights departing from its airports to use a mix of 1pc SAF from 2027 , with a target for the country to capture 30pc of the global blended SAF export market, it announced in August 2024. It remains unclear if co-processed SAF will be allowed to meet the country's mandate, but some South Korean refineries are optimistic. The country also said in August it planned to establish a national standard, certification and testing method for SAF beginning in December 2024, but no updates have surfaced as of 6 January 2025. By Deborah Sun Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US Congress begins with focus on energy, taxes

25/01/03

US Congress begins with focus on energy, taxes

Some Republicans worry that their razor-thin House majority could soon see their caucus fractured, writes Chris Knight Washington, 3 January (Argus) — The new Republican majority in US Congress has set its sights on passing legislation to grow energy production, unwind climate policies and cut trillions of dollars in taxes, but doing so will require the party to overcome its history of infighting. That disharmony was on display last month, when Republicans in the House of Representatives nearly forced a government shutdown by scuttling a spending deal negotiated by their own leaders. Similar dynamics have been at play for the past two years, as rifts over how to govern made it difficult for House Republican leaders to use a tiny majority to extract policy concessions during negotiations. The first test of party unity in the 119th Congress — sworn in on 3 January — will come as House Republicans vote on whether to re-elect Mike Johnson as speaker with an even smaller majority than last year. Johnson can only afford to lose a handful of votes, assuming all Democrats vote against him, before Republicans risk a repeat of 2023, when far-right members ousted the last speaker but could not agree on a replacement for weeks. A lengthy voting impasse could delay the 6 January certification of the election victory of president-elect Donald Trump, who this week endorsed Johnson. Trump campaigned on passing legislation to allow industry to "drill, baby, drill" by increasing federal oil and gas lease sales, removing regulations and unwinding parts of outgoing president Joe Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Among the options are rescinding a fee on methane emissions that started at $900/t, and requiring more oil and gas lease sales in the US Gulf of Mexico. On taxes, Trump has proposed extending $4 trillion in cuts due to expire at the end of 2025, in addition to cutting corporate rates to as low as 15pc from 20pc, rescinding clean energy credits, and putting a 20pc tariff on all imports. Other items on Congress' to-do list include passing legislation to fund the government and raising the statutory limit on federal debt. Republicans also say they want to pass a bill to expedite federal permitting, after a bipartisan effort to do so failed to advance in December. Learning to two-step Republican leaders have floated a two-step plan to pass Trump's legislative agenda that would use "budget reconciliation" — a legislative manoeuvre that will prevent a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, but which limits the bill to provisions that will affect the federal budget. Senate majority leader John Thune, a Republican from Texas, has suggested packaging immigration, border security and energy policy into a first budget bill that would pass early this year. Republicans would then have more time to debate a separate — and far more complex — budget bill that would focus on taxes and spending. But some Republicans, mindful of a slim 220-215 House majority that will temporarily shrink because of upcoming vacancies, worry the two-part strategy could fracture the caucus. Republicans have yet to decide the changes to the IRA, which includes hundreds of billions of dollars of tax credits for wind, solar, electric vehicles, battery manufacturing, carbon capture and clean hydrogen. A group of 18 House Republicans last year said they opposed a "full repeal" of the law, which disproportionately benefits districts represented by Republicans. Republicans plan to use their expanded influence to push changes at all levels of government and the work it supports. Incoming Republican chairman of the Senate energy committee John Barrasso has issued a report urging OECD energy watchdog the IEA to revive the inclusion of a "business-as-usual" reference case in its annual World Energy Outlook. Barrasso says the IEA has lost its focus on energy security and instead become a "cheerleader" for the energy transition. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Eni ready for FID on Mozambique’s Coral Norte FLNG

25/01/03

Eni ready for FID on Mozambique’s Coral Norte FLNG

London, 3 January (Argus) — Italian energy firm Eni is ready to take a final investment decision (FID) on its planned 3.4mn t/yr Coral Norte floating liquefaction (FLNG) terminal in Mozambique, should the project receive authorisation from the country's government, the firm has told Argus . Eni said it expects the government's approval to be "imminent", although it did not provide a more detailed timeline. The firm said in June 2023 that it planned to start operations at the FLNG in the second half of 2027. Eni already operates Mozambique's 3.4mn t/yr Coral Sul FLNG, which started operations in late 2022 and is at present the country's only LNG terminal. Coral Norte is set to be installed 20km north of Coral Sul. There are also two onshore terminals planned for Mozambique — the TotalEnergies-led 13.1mn t/yr Mozambique LNG project and ExxonMobil's 18mn t/yr Rovuma LNG project. Both are located in the Cabo Delgado province and have been halted because of security concerns. TotalEnergies reached a financial close on their Mozambique project in 2019 and declared force majeure in 2021, though project partner Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) said in late October 2024 the force majeure could be lifted in January or February this year because of an improvement in the security situation. And ExxonMobil said in November last year it was planning to take FID on the Rovuma project at the start of 2026. By Cerys Edwards Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more