Green gas: the essential shift in the next energy strategy

On the occasion of his 15th Live Innogaz, Jean-Charles Colas-Roy, President of Coénove, brought together Olivier Dauger, farmer, Co-President of France Gaz Renouvelables and energy climate referent for the FNSEA and Philippe Hugeron, President of the Pyrogazeification Club of the ATEE to discuss respectively the production of biomethane, a new deal for France's energy strategy and pyrogasification, a complementary and necessary sector for climate neutrality.

Methanization: a mature and essential technology

With more than 700 units in France, methanization is the essential solution for producing green gases while recovering agricultural and organic waste. This mature technology generates biomethane, a renewable gas injected into the networks, with many positive externalities.

Methanization transforms waste into resources, provides maximum return of nutrients and organic matter to soils, generates co-products such as biogenic CO2, creates local jobs and provides additional income for farmers. By promoting self-consumption and short supply chains, methanization also strengthens France's energy sovereignty, thus contributing to the development of a circular economy that values the resources and assets of our various territories.

For Olivier Dauger, Co-President of France Gaz Renouvelables: "Methanization is the pillar of agricultural and energy decarbonization. With an estimated potential of 130 TWh of annual production by 2050, it creates a link between territories, their local resources and the needs for decarbonized consumption."

Pyrogasification: a complementary and innovative sector

Pyrogasification, still emerging, presents itself as the "little brother" of methanization. Capable of transforming solid waste such as wood or plastics into renewable or low-carbon gas, it meets the challenges of recovering CSR (Solid Recovered Fuels) with an estimated potential of 90 TWh of annual production by 2050.

This innovative technology is essential to complement the production of green gases by methanization. Pyrogasification recovers non-recyclable waste by offering them a sustainable alternative to landfill or incineration. The gas produced is easily storable and transportable in existing infrastructures, and therefore adapted to the country's inter-seasonal flexibility needs. By adapting to territorial specificities in terms of available biomass, it allows optimal exploitation of local resources while broadening the scope of green gas sectors, thus contributing to a sustainable energy transition.

For Philippe Hugeron, president of the Pyrogasification Club of ATEE: "Pyrogasification is an essential solution to address the territorial problem of waste management by offering sustainable recovery in renewable and low-carbon gas, storable and transportable. It meets the energy needs of industries and territories while contributing to the decarbonization of the national economy."

Multi-year Energy Programming (PPE): a trajectory to be strengthened to accelerate the energy transition

The PPE sets a course for the production of green gases with a target of 50 TWh in 2030, equivalent to 15 to 20% of our country's gas consumption. Coénove and the entire renewable gas sector propose to accelerate the greening of gas in France and campaign for an ambitious threshold of 60 TWh in 2030. By 2035, the sector proposes a doubling of this target to 120 TWh, corresponding to 40% of the country's gas consumption, to fully respond to climate issues and reflect the real potential of green gases.

As contributions to the PPE are in full swing, Coénove stresses the need for a clear and ambitious strategy to support a plural energy mix, which is based on a diversification of decarbonized energy vectors where green gases will play a major role in our country's energy transition. As part of the PPE, Coénove is putting forward several key measures and proposals:

A major energy and climate law promoting the necessary complementarity of energies
An increase in the production targets for green gases through methanization, by 2030, accompanied by increased support for new low-carbon gas technologies (pyrogasification, hydrothermal gasification, etc.)
A clear strategy for prioritizing biomass to promote the production of green gases and its many positive externalities
Support for the hybridization of solutions (solar/gas, hybrid heat pump, etc.) and recognition of the flexibility services provided to our country's energy system
VAT reduction on biogas supply contracts
The recognition of biomethane in buildings, both in the subsidies granted, and in the improvement of the Energy Performance Diagnostic (EPD) and in the Environmental Regulation (ER) for new constructions
The expansion of the framework for collective gas self-consumption within a radius of 50 km between production and consumption sites

For Jean-Charles Colas-Roy, Chairman of Coénove: "Green gases, by their local, renewable and storable nature, constitute a cornerstone of the decarbonization of our energy systems. They offer a concrete response to the challenges of energy sovereignty and territorial resilience, while contributing to the collective effort to achieve our national climate objectives. To meet the challenges of tomorrow, it is crucial to consolidate a clear regulatory framework, which values the complementarity of energies and the recognition of green gases in the buildings sector."

Illustrative image of the article via Depositphotos.com.