Knowledge Base

Biogas and biomethane can replace a portion of fossil natural gas consumption, but a full like-for-like replacement at current consumption levels is neither technically feasible nor the most productive framing of the question. The available organic feedstock base is finite, and the scale of today’s natural gas use in heating, industry, and transport is large.

That said, the contribution is substantial and growing. The European Biogas Association estimates that European biomethane production could reach 35 to 100 billion cubic metres per year by 2050, depending on policy ambition and investment. Some countries are stimulating the shared growth of biomethane production by promoting policies such as blending obligations.

The more useful question is where biogas delivers the greatest decarbonization value: displacing fossil gas in industrial processes, feeding into existing grid infrastructure, or replacing diesel in heavy transport. In each of these sectors, biogas and biomethane offer a direct, infrastructure-compatible substitute that requires no fundamental change to downstream equipment or end-use technology.