Adapting to the evolving European biomethane landscape

Urszula Szalkowska, managing director, Europe EcoEngineers, outlines the challenges and opportunities for US suppliers.
The European energy sector’s landscape is evolving rapidly, particularly in the biomethane market. The European Commission's recent deployment of the Union Database (UDB) signifies a crucial step toward the transparent traceability of renewable fuels within the European Union (EU) Member States (MS).
The purpose of the UDB is to reduce the risk of fraud and double counting the same energy unit in multiple sectors, multiple MS, or between a MS and national targets in third countries. Initially targeting liquid biofuels, UDB is expected to expand its purview to include gaseous renewable fuels like biomethane by 21 November this year, in accordance with the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III).
This development is particularly pertinent to biomethane suppliers eyeing the EU market, as renewable energy quotas in MS substantially contribute to the incremental value of biomethane over traditional fossil fuels. UDB will register every commercial transaction throughout the biomethane value chain and associated proofs of sustainability (PoS) (i.e.,...