Biogas could help Germany cut dependence on Russia

After years of stagnation and questioning about its environmental impact, Germany’s biogas sector is back in the spotlight amid efforts by Berlin to reduce its energy dependence on Moscow because of the war in Ukraine.

An hour’s drive west of Berlin, Peter Kaim’s farm is dominated by the strong odor emanating from three long spheres placed in the middle of a muddy field shared with a hundred cows.

Every day, tons of organic waste — mostly manure, corn and grass — are dumped into these containers. In a process called “methanization” powered by bacteria, this organic matter turns into gas.

The small plant heats about 20 houses in the village of Ribbeck, known for a pear tree praised by German writer Theodor Fontane in a classic 19th-century poem.

Everything “comes 100% from our farm”, says Kaim, proud of having an “independent” energy production amid the war in Ukraine that has driven up prices.

The farmer asks regional authorities to adopt simpler authorization procedures to help biogas become a bigger player in Germany’s energy mix.

Like Kaim, this entire sector sees the current crisis as an opportunity — which has led Berlin to reduce its dependence on Russia, from which it imported 55% of its natural gas, half of its coal and 35% of its oil.

In a sign that the message was getting through, the German government last week announced its desire to increase production of “green gas” as part of its strategy to build more resilience in the face of rising energy prices.

2/3 of Nord Stream

For now, biogas represents only 1% of consumption in the main European economy. But “we could immediately increase our production by 20% and replace 5% of Russian gas if some regulatory barriers were lifted tomorrow,” says Horst Seide, president of the federation of German biogas producers.

According to him, a coordinated effort to promote the sector would allow, in the long term, “to produce two-thirds of the capacity of Nord Stream 2”, the controversial gas pipeline project between Russia and Germany that Berlin suspended at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February. .

The history of biogas in Germany goes back decades. In the early 2000s, the country opted for this sector and became a European leader. Even today, half of the continent’s methanizers are located in the country.

But in early 2014, the German government took a turn and decided to cut the industry’s production capacity with a complex system of subsidies.

The main objection was the massive industrialization of the sector, which represented a major environmental problem due to the risk of water contamination and leakage of polluting gases.

They also claimed that land used for agriculture and livestock was being taken over for energy production.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 14% of Germany’s agricultural land is already used for power generation.

The opening of new facilities plummeted: from 1,526 in 2013 to 94 in 2014, right after the regulatory change. In 2021, only 60 were registered.

food insecurity

The sector guarantees that it has learned from its mistakes and wants to be part of the solution to disconnect from Russian gas, but asks for a relaxation of regulation.

However, some experts are skeptical. “In a future context of food insecurity due to the war in Ukraine, it is difficult to defend an increase in biogas production using the current model”, comments Michael Sterner, an energy researcher at the University of Regensburg.

According to Ingo Baumstark, spokesperson for the federation of industrialists, the expansion of production can be done in a decentralized way, using small facilities and sustainable raw materials.

The sector explains that it wants to abandon the corn monoculture dedicated exclusively to energy production to focus on residues and leftovers from agricultural production.

But this model, better from an environmental point of view, requires a colossal logistical operation, as currently 80% of the organic matter used in the sector comes from plants cultivated exclusively for this purpose, according to the German Environment Agency.