According to a statistical report by the European Biogas Association (EBA), biomethane production in Europe will reach a record 52 TWh in 2023, an increase of 21% year-on-year. The Czech Republic is not yet on par with the European average, but according to data from the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, domestic installed biomethane production capacity has increased rapidly from 35 GWh to 113 GWh compared to 2022.
Renewable gas production in Europe has become an important part of the strategy to achieve climate neutrality and reduce energy dependence on imported natural gas in recent years. While biomethane production as a local alternative to fossil gas in Europe stood at 44 TWh in 2022, it increased by 21% to 52 TWh (4.9 bcm) in 2023. The largest increases in production in 2023 were in Italy (+3,392 GWh), France (+2,164 GWh), Denmark (+926 GWh), the UK (+634 GWh) and the Netherlands (+511 GWh). This brings European production capacity to 6.4 billion m3 per year and, following REPowerEU’s target of producing 35 billion m3 of biomethane by 2030, private investment of at least €27 billion will be directed into the biomethane sector in the coming years.
There has also been a significant increase in the Czech Republic, where five new plants have been added to the only EFG Rapotín BPS biomethane plant for a long time and the Litomyšl plant, which was launched in 2022.
“The development of biomethane is moving the Czech energy sector towards greater use of renewable energy sources, increased energy security and self-sufficiency. Last year, we launched biomethane production at the biogas plant in Vyškov and more than doubled the biomethane production capacity at the waste biogas plant in Rapotín. This year, we will continue to expand our BPS portfolio and invest in new facilities with a total biomethane production capacity of up to 100 GWh,” says Barbora Formánková, spokeswoman for Energy financial group.
The development of biomethane in the Czech Republic has been stagnant for a long time due to the lower level of investment in its production, which is related to the insufficiently functional system of subsidy support. Only in autumn 2023 the European Commission approved a domestic programme aimed at covering the operating costs associated with the production of biomethane, worth CZK 60 billion until the end of 2025.
The exact form of support for biomethane plants from 2026 onwards is currently being discussed in the framework of the amendment to the Energy Act lex RES III. According to the proposals of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, it should no longer take the form of a so-called green bonus, but an auction bonus.
The Ministry of the Environment is also focusing on the support of gas from RES in the Czech Republic, and at the end of the year it presented an Action Plan to support the development of the use of biomethane. It builds on the Czech National Energy and Climate Plan, approved by the Czech Government on 18 December 2024, and reflects the need to meet the Czech Republic’s climate and energy goals in line with European strategies such as the Fit for 55 package, the REPowerEU plan and the commitment to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
Thus, the development of biomethane production and use in the Czech Republic has the potential to contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on natural gas imports, improving the use of biodegradable waste and creating new opportunities for the regional economy and employment.
