The EnviThan gas upgrading technology from the German biogas plant builder and technology provider EnviTec Biogas AG is currently enjoying very strong demand, especially in France. At present, three EnviThan gas upgrading plants built by EnviTec are feeding into the French gas grid and other construction projects are also now underway.
The most recent of these is in Coudun, in the department of Oise, in northern France. The 130 Nm³ per hour plant is operated using agricultural waste, silage, and sugar beet pulp.
In a second expansion stage, we’re planning to increase yield from the current 130 Nm³/h to 400 Nm³/hour, explained Vivian Lazuech, the local EnviTec project manager for this project.
The plant is already prepared for this expansion stage – with only an additional feed line and the membranes to be installed later. The quite literally made-to-measure plant is currently feeding in gas that has been upgraded to 90 volume percent methane – known as ‘b-quality’ gas – to the GRDF grid.
With this project, we’ve achieved another key milestone in the ongoing success story of our innovative EnviThan gas upgrading technology in France. This customer-specific adjustment to the methane content and the compact design highlights the inherent flexibility in our EnviThan technology, said Christian Ernst, Managing Director of EnviTec Biogas’s French subsidiary.
The plant has already been prepared to feed in different qualities of gas to match the needs of the grid. It’s an advantage that is making a name for itself, with other plants now already under construction.
Strong French demand – sales trending upwards
One plant in Nangis (280 Nm³/hour) will start operations early next year, while the plant in Boutigny (250 Nm³/hour) will go online in mid-2019. Commissioning for an industrial plant (440 Nm³/hour) in St Quentin, which will be run entirely on waste, is planned for 2020 and other projects are now at the planning or implementation stage.
With the SAS Ferti Oise project, the French subsidiary has now completed ten biogas plants. Most of these biogas plants are facilities operated with waste from manufacturing and agriculture.
The robust climate policy adopted by the Macron government means we’re expecting good revenue performance in the next few years here in Europe’s agricultural powerhouse, said Ernst.
The target for renewable energy for 2030 is around 32 percent, to be reached in a series of stages. Since France aims to have achieved absolute carbon neutrality by 2050, its biomethane production is a step in the right direction.
According to the 2017 Renewable Gas French Panorama report, the feed-in volume into the French gas grid has doubled to 406 GWh since 2016. The number of gas upgrading plants has risen by around 70 percent in the same period.
