Several associations emphasized the importance of increasing the production of biomethane in order to increase security of supply and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The European Biogas Association pointed out that the biogas sector already substitutes approx. 5% of natural gas imports with approx. 18,800 biogas plants in the EU. Rapid growth is needed to achieve the expansion target of replacing 15% of natural gas demand in Europe by 2030. In addition to new construction, retrofitting with biogas upgrading plants to produce biomethane is also important. Between 2004 and 2014, Germany showed how many plants can be built in a short space of time. At present, obstacles to approval and an indecisive policy mean that Germany is lagging behind in Europe. At European level, however, it is assumed that the EU can achieve the targets. The EU Commission sees itself in the role of accelerator for biogas plants for the energy transition.

Reducing CO2 emissions is the main goal, and there are many ways to produce energy from biomass with negative emission values.

According to Helena Dobes, one option that has received little attention to date is the storage of CO2 as the most effective way to decarbonize the atmosphere.

Maximilian Kurth from BMP Greengas compared the different support systems of the EU member states.He distinguished between subsidies that actively bring biomethane onto the market, such as investment grants and fixed feed-in tariffs, and those that increase demand, such as CO2 pricing.

Biomethane producers are quickly at a disadvantage in countries that increase demand and thus the price through subsidies compared to those that receive subsidies for the investment.Subsidized plants can produce cheaply due to subsidies received in the country of origin and in turn use the subsidized price in the supplying country.The manufacturers in the supplier country are no longer competitive as the manufacturing costs are too high. Biogas plants in Germany have this locational disadvantage.

There is an urgent need to reduce the distortion of competition caused by the individual support schemes between the individual member states.

At the end of the day, the European competitors are in a good mood for the expansion and development of the biogas market, Germany is currently lagging behind.