May 2, 2026. Biomethane can help shield Europe from fossil fuel shocks, but current policy momentum remains insufficient to scale them at the required pace. As the European Commission publishes its Accelerate EU communication, a new report highlights both the strategic value of biomethane and the gap between ambition and implementation.
Europe’s exposure to global energy markets continues to carry a high cost. According to the European Commission, the EU spent €336.7 billion on energy imports in 2025, with an additional €22 billion linked to recent geopolitical tensions, underlining the urgency of accelerating domestic renewable energy solutions.
The report launched provides an updated assessment of Europe’s realistic and sustainable biomethane potential. It reinforces the conclusions of earlier studies that biomethane has a central role to play in building a defossilised and more resilient energy system.
Nevertheless, the potential estimate for 2030 has been lowered compared to previous assessments, reflecting not a reduction in sustainable potential, but a lack of timely action to deploy projects and mobilise available feedstocks.
“Europe has the resources to scale up biomethane, but deployment is being held back by persistent regulatory barriers,” said Harmen Dekker, CEO of the European Biogas Association (EBA). “Without a stable and coherent policy framework, the sector cannot scale at the pace required to deliver on Europe’s energy and climate objectives.”
Production today remains below what is achievable with existing resources. Around 22 bcm of biogases are currently produced in Europe, of which 5 bcm is biomethane, with output almost entirely based on anaerobic digestion.
The report estimates total biomethane potential at 34–35 bcm by 2030 (EU-27 + UK, NO, CH, largely from agricultural residues (25%), animal manure (23%), sequential crops (19%) and industrial wastewater (15%), together representing 81% of the total. Around 60% of this potential is concentrated in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom.
The long-term outlook confirms a significant scaling opportunity. Production potential is projected to increase to 116–132 bcm by 2040 and up to 205 bcm by 2050, reinforcing the role of biomethane in a future defossilised energy system.
With the right conditions in place, Europe holds a significant and sustainable resource that can deliver a domestic source of renewable energy, strengthen resilience to external shocks, and contribute meaningfully to Europe’s long-term energy independence.
