Naturgy launches third biomethane plant in Spain

Madrid-based gas company Naturgy has launched its third biomethane, also called renewable natural gas (RNG), plant in Spain, increasing its RNG production capacity to 29 GWh/year, the company announced on June 26. 

The new plant is located on the Porgaporcs livestock farm in the municipality of Vila-Sana. The facility will produce around 12 GWh/year of RNG, which will be injected into the Nedgia network, the Naturgy Group's natural gas distributor, for direct consumption by homes and businesses. The Vila-Sana plant will prevent the emission of 2,450 equivalent tonnes of CO2/year into the atmosphere, according to the company.

“Renewable gas plays a fundamental role in the decarbonisation of the energy sector and, especially, of domestic consumption such as heating. At Naturgy, we are committed to promoting this with a portfolio that already includes three plants in operation and dozens of projects under development or construction,” explained Jose Luis Gil, general manager of renewable gases at Naturgy.

RNG is obtained from the treatment of various types of waste. It meets the technical conditions to circulate through the gas distribution network and be consumed at a residential level, as its use is compatible with domestic boilers.

“This compatibility makes biomethane a great decarbonising agent, as it allows households to reduce their emissions without making any kind of investment. Without renewable gases, we will not be able to complete the energy transition,” said Raul Suarez, CEO of Nedgia.

Naturgy manages a portfolio of projects throughout the country at different stages of development. In addition to the three RNG plants in operation at the Bens WWTP, Cerdanyola del Valles, and Vila-Sana, two other facilities in advanced development or construction in Utiel and Utrera will be added in the coming months.