In the last two years, it seems that doubts about the future of biogas in Spain are beginning to be dispelled.

While it is true that the pace of adoption of the necessary measures is slower than the sector would like, it must be recognized that steps are being taken to ensure this future in the medium term.

Law 7/2021, of May 20, on Climate Change and Energy Transition, establishes in the first paragraph of Article 12 that the Government “will promote, through the approval of specific plans, the penetration of renewable gases, including biogas, biomethane, hydrogen and other fuels whose manufacture has used exclusively raw materials and energy of renewable origin or allows the reuse of organic waste or by-products of animal or vegetable origin”.

Last September 15 was the deadline for submitting allegations to the draft of the Biogas Roadmap. This Roadmap includes a total of forty-three measures grouped into five main lines of action: regulatory, sectoral, economic, cross-cutting and R&D&I.

KEPLER participated in this consultative process and submitted allegations to different measures included in the five proposed lines of action.

Also this year, at the end of September, the MITECO submitted to public information the draft royal decree for the partial transposition of Directive 2018/2001, on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources. October 14 was the deadline for submitting allegations to this document, which among other issues will define the system of guarantees of origin for renewable gases, such as green hydrogen, biogas or biomethane, which will allow marketers and consumers to differentiate them from gas of fossil origin.

The five main lines of action will be: regulatory, sectoral, economic, cross-cutting and R&D&I.

It is to be hoped that this framework structure will lead to specific regulations that will give a boost to the biogas sector in Spain.

In any case, for biogas to be a useful instrument in decarbonization and the new paradigm of the circular economy, it will be necessary for it to reach the profitability threshold that does not exist now, and for this, the measures established for its promotion must effectively contemplate not only the energy aspect, but also all the environmental benefits derived from the effective treatment of organic waste.