Biogas production in Sweden could be increased over fivefold by 2030 if only a functioning support system is put in place as soon as possible. This is one of the conclusions of a new roadmap report for fossil-free competitiveness that the Swedish Gas Association (Energigas Sverige) industry recently presented in the context of the Fossil-free Sweden (Fossilfritt Sverige) coalition.
An error occurred
On your profile you can see what subscriptions you have access to and more information.
Is some of the information wrong – please contact our customer service.
Please reload the page
Do you want to read the whole article?
- Six editions per year
- Full access to all digital content
- The E-magazine Bioenergy international
- And more ...
Sweden’s aim to become the world’s first fossil-free welfare country will require radical changes throughout society. According to Energigas Sverige (Swedish Gas Association) and Fossil-free Sweden (Fossilfritt Sverige), energy gases play an important role in this transition. A new energy gas roadmap report “Gas för framtiden – Klimatfärdplan för energigaserna i Sverige” (Gas for the Future – Climate Roadmap for Energy Gases in Sweden) launched in Stockholm on January 29, 2020, demonstrates how this can be achieved.
Energy gases can help solve several of the major societal challenges. While the use of energy gases generally needs to increase to replace other fossil fuels, the fossil share should also decrease and be zero by 2045. The journey there has already begun, said Maria Malmkvist, CEO of Energigas Sverige during the launch of the Roadmap on January 29, 2019.
Fossil-free alternatives such as biogas, biopropane, and renewable hydrogen will take on an increasingly important place in society in the future. According to the biogas market survey presented by the Swedish Gas Association in December 2019, the goal should be to produce 7 TWh of biogas by anaerobic digestion (AD) in 2030 and another 3 TWh of biogas and other renewable gas by other technologies.
This is the potential compared to the current Swedish biogas production of about 2 TWh. The industry sees that this goal is achievable and that the long-term potential is far greater.
But in order for the production target for the biogas to be realized and the energy gases to be able to contribute to Sweden reaching the climate goals, the Roadmap calls on the government and parliament to make decisions that create the right conditions.
Among other things, the Roadmap points out that it is necessary to implement the biogas market survey’s proposal for a national target for biogas and other renewable gases. Continued tax exemption on biogas and production premiums are also needed. These measures are crucial for stimulating investments in Swedish biogas production.
We are now seeing a clear path for how gas of renewable origin in Sweden can take place in the fossil-free society, something that is being demanded by several other industries. The potential for gas use is great. For example, liquid biogas (LBG) can be a key to shipping’s energy transition and hydrogen can act as energy storage and balance the electricity grid, said Svante Axelsson, National Coordinator for Fossil-free Sweden.
