Europe biomethane capacity tops 8.2 bcm as investment surges
Europe’s biomethane capacity hit 8.2 bcm a year, backed by €36 billion in commitments and 1,975 plants across 26 countries.
The European Biogas Association on July 1 said Europe’s installed biomethane capacity reached 8.2 bcm a year by the end of Q2 2026. The group said biomethane had “crossed a new milestone” after adding more than 1 bcm of annual capacity in a year, a 17% increase from 2025. Investment commitments stood at €36 billion, and the association said fully realised projects could add another 9 bcm a year by 2030.
Europe’s biomethane map now covers 26 countries and lists 1,975 operating plants, up from 1,678 in the 2025 data collection period. The European Biogas Association said 327 new plants entered operation over that span, although some sites also closed, so the net gain was smaller. Gas Infrastructure Europe said at least 86% of active plants are connected to the gas grid, and the average facility size is 472 Nm3/h, with France hosting more, smaller plants and Denmark operating fewer but much larger units.
The expansion is still highly concentrated. The European Biogas Association said just five countries account for 95% of European biomethane production, and Ifri said France has overtaken Germany as the region’s top producer. Ifri put Europe’s biomethane output at 5.2 bcm in 2024, roughly half of global production, after output more than doubled since 2019. The European Biogas Association’s 2025 statistical report also put combined biogas and biomethane production at 22 bcm in 2024, a volume equal to the gas consumption of Belgium, Denmark and Ireland combined.
The policy backdrop remains centered on Brussels. The European Commission launched the Biomethane Industrial Partnership on 28 September 2022 to help deliver REPowerEU’s 35 bcm annual biomethane target by 2030. In March 2026, a Joint Biomethane Declaration backed by major European industry groups framed biomethane as a core tool for reindustrialisation, energy security and climate neutrality, while Gas Infrastructure Europe secretary general Lucie Boost said the fuel is becoming a strategic pillar of Europe’s energy transition.
The broader market case now reaches beyond grid gas. The European Biogas Association said Europe already produces about 25 Mt a year of digestate and captures 1.17 Mt of bio-CO2, putting biomethane into fertilizer and industrial gas chains as well as transport. That mix of grid access, residue monetisation and long-term offtake is what is pulling capital into the sector, even as the next round of projects competes harder for feedstock and connections.
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