Wednesday 4 March 2020

Biomethane ‘could deliver 30% of carbon reductions required in the UK by 2030’

Biomethane could deliver 30% of the carbon reductions required in the UK by 2030.

That's the suggestion from a new report published by the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), which notes this could also provide green heat to 6.4 million homes and create 30,000 jobs by 2030.

The organisation says with a "supportive policy environment", anaerobic digestion (AD) technology could produce eight billion cubic metres of biomethane every year, which could then be used to decarbonise the difficult-to-decarbonise heat, transport, waste management and agriculture sectors and deliver a 6% reduction in total UK greenhouse gases emissions.

It predicts the resulting growth of the industry would directly create 30,000 green jobs and see the UK become a "leading exporter of innovation, technology and professional expertise".

It says to benefit from this, the biomethane sector needs supportive new policies to be implemented, including immediately extending support for biomethane production beyond 2021, extending the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation beyond 2032, stepping up funding for innovation.

The report also calls for a structured system organising the recycling of organic wastes to be established, as well as the development of a renewable biofertiliser obligation and support for local circular economy food projects.

Charlotte Morton, ADBA Chief Executive, says: "The next ten years, dubbed the climate decade, are our last chance to reverse the climate crisis. To reach its full potential by 2030 and make a real impact, the industry must grow faster than it has ever done.

"We therefore need robust and immediate support from government to capitalise on the sector's wide-ranging environmental and social benefits and to unlock a commercially viable, world-class anaerobic digestion industry with goods, services and expertise that can be exported around the world."