November 26, 2019. The European Consortium ECO-GATE, co-financed by the European Union and led by NEDGIA, the gas distributor of the Naturgy group, has initiated the injection and distribution in tests of the renewable gas generated at the sewage wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) from Butarque, to the NEDGIA distribution network. Butarque’s renewable gas project has the collaboration of Enagás, Canal de Isabel II, Naturgy and the Community of Madrid.
This is a milestone in the distribution of natural gas in Spain, since it will be the first time that renewable gas is injected into the distribution network that will serve to develop the system of certificates of origin for renewable gas in the country to advance in the compliance with the environmental decarbonization objectives proposed by Europe in 2030.
In the WWTP of Butarque, which is managed by the Canal de Isabel II, NEDGIA has installed a biomethane (renewable gas) production module that purifies the biogas from the recovery of waste from the wastewater treatment plant (process of upgrading) and another to inject the biomethane produced in its natural gas distribution network. In addition, powered by the NEDGIA distribution network at that point the project also includes a refueling supplier of compressed natural gas (CNG) for vehicles, managed by Naturgy. For its part, Enagás will analyze the gas quality of this experience of using biomethane for mobility.
For the director of the European ECO-GATE Consortium, David Fernández, “biomethane is the energy vector that contributes most to the circular economy and can solve the problem of storing intermittent production of other renewable energies,” but adds that “it is necessary have the support of the Administration to develop the biomethane market with economic/financial support mechanisms and the promotion of certificates of origin for renewable gas that already exist in other countries”.
