New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
France launches new biogas support mechanisms
20/10/2026
News
The French government has extended a biogas support mechanism, which previously ended in 2028, out to 2044, in Decree 2026-933 published on 9 October.
The new law relates to biogas production certificates (BPCs) and establishes six obligation periods, the first from 2026 to 2029 and subsequent ones in three-year intervals, according to the French renewable energy trade association SER.
‘This new horizon finally provides the visibility required by producers, suppliers, investors and financiers to secure projects and ensure the long-term development of biomethane,’ said SER. It particularly praised the fact that the obligations rise with time to account for improving energy efficiency in gas-fired heating, but stated that the support should go further to incentivise greater building decarbonisation.
The trade association also noted that the scheme includes new biogas production methods, including pyrogasification and hydrothermal gasification.
‘With this decree, the renewable gas sector reaches a foundational milestone. By providing visibility through 2044, the government is creating the necessary conditions for investment, innovation and the development of new projects across the entire country,’ said SER President Jules Nyssen.
Elsewhere, regional investor Épopée Gestion, anaerobic digestion developer Urbeez and engineering consultancy Enervivo have set up a platform for biomethane injection plant financing in France, supported by law firm De Gaulle Fleurance. Its €10mn budget will finance some 10 projects in the next few years, with a focus on brownfield conversion of cogeneration (heat and power) units in anaerobic digestion to biomethane injection, according to the law firm.
With injection, more than 95% of the biogas energy is recovered, compared with around 40% electrical efficiency for a cogeneration engine, according to Épopée Gestion.
The law firm added that this operation comes in a context of changing economic models in the biomethane sector. While some projects in Urbeez's portfolio benefit from a feed-in tariff, the platform intends to rely primarily on BPCs and will also be able to use biogas purchase agreements (BPAs).
Sylvie Perrin, Partner at De Gaulle Fleurance, commented: ‘The conversion of existing units to injection makes it possible to accelerate the deployment of production capacity, while the development of new economic models, particularly around biogas production certificates, opens up new financing prospects.’
The first project is in the Méthanisation Dessous Machecot unit, located in La Chapelle, Charente, which has a capacity of 25GWh/y. Commissioning is scheduled for 4Q2027.
In other news, and on the other end of the industrial scale, French energy company Engie has agreed to supply shipping company CMA CGM with 7,000t/100GWh of biomethane for its LNG-powered vessels from a new biomethane production plant in the port area of Le Havre. The plant will convert household, agricultural and livestock waste into biomethane, which will be supplied through the gas grid on a mass balance arrangement.
Dutch biomethanol plant draws closer
Biomethanol producer Perpetual Next has licensed Air Liquide’s Rectisol and Lurgi methanol technology to process syngas from biomass for its new biomethanol plants in Delfzijl and Moerdijk, in the Netherlands.
If built, the €1bn Delfzijl plant would have a production capacity of 220,000t of biomethanol for the chemicals industry and maritime sector.
In September 2026, it signed on Bilfinger as the owner’s engineer to progress towards a final investment decision.
‘With methanol set to become an increasingly important sustainable fuel and key building block for the chemical industry, domestic production will play an important role in strengthening supply security and strategic autonomy,’ the company said.
The plant would be the first of a standardised design, which includes torrefaction (heating in the absence of oxygen), gasification, syngas cleaning and upgrade, and methanol synthesis.
Perpetual Next has already signed up as biomass supplier waste management firm PreZero Netherlands. In April, it signed up JPB Logistics for 21,000–35,000m3 of biomethanol storage and handling services on the site.
