Nedgia, the Naturgy group’s gas distributor, has increased its network’s green gas injection capacity by more than 30% in the last year, with a total of eight biomethane plants already connected and in operation. These facilities have a combined capacity to produce 226 GWh of green gas, which will avoid 40,500 tonnes of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
The company is going to great efforts to ensure that biomethane, which is obtained by treating waste from a variety of sources, can contribute towards a competitive energy transition for households and businesses alike. These operational plants will be joined in the short and medium term by a further 53 plants that have already signed agreements with Nedgia to start injecting green gas, with a combined volume of 3,365 GWh. This figure is equivalent to the consumption of more than 670,000 households.
“Today, biomethane is a real alternative to help us move forward in an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable energy transition. With only 30% of the green gas potential that we have in Spain, we could decarbonise the entire housing stock without owners having to make any investment”, explains Raúl Suárez, chief executive officer of Nedgia.
One of the great strengths of biomethane is that it has similar qualities to natural gas and can therefore be distributed in the existing gas infrastructure and used for the same energy applications in households, industry and commerce. Consequently, this green gas a strategic springboard to enable rapid progress in the energy transition and make it possible to meet EU emissions reduction targets.
Despite the growth recorded in 2024, biomethane still requires a boost from support mechanisms like those in place in other neighbouring countries. In France, for example, the number of operational plants increased from 44 to more than 700 between 2017 and 2024, and the current injection capacity exceeds 13,200 GWh.
The number of plants in operation in Spain is much smaller, although the country has one of the highest biomethane production potentials in Europe, with a capacity of up to 163,000 GWh. This amount could cover 45% of national demand for natural gas or the entire residential and commercial demand, according to a report by Sedigas and PwC.
Naturgy, a leader in green gas
Naturgy aims to be the leading company in the promotion of green gas in the Iberian Peninsula, both in short-term production and distribution of biomethane and in the development of hydrogen as an energy vector that will have a significant impact on the energy mix in the medium to long term. The company is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunity offered by green gas to move towards decarbonisation and is ready to deploy significant investments and resources in this business.
Its gas distributor, Nedgia, is playing a strategic role in the promotion of this energy carrier through a network of more than 60,000 kilometres, which could immediately deliver green gas to more than 5.5 million consumers in 1,150 municipalities throughout 10 autonomous communities.
With regard to the production of this renewable gas, Naturgy manages an extensive portfolio of projects at different stages of development and already has three of its own production plants in operation. In addition, the company recently signed a strategic alliance with Hispania Silva, a company specialising in waste recovery with extensive experience in the agro-livestock sector, to build at least 20 or up to 30 biomethane production plants. The plants that are part of this alliance, which will be located all over Spain and start operations before 2030, will have the capacity to generate the equivalent of the consumption of half a million homes.