Biomethane, an essential vector for decarbonization: what Spain can learn from Czechia
What is lacking is not projects, but a national vision that places biomethane on the decarbonization map.
In the European energy debate, there is a silent yet decisive protagonist: biomethane. In a context where electrification alone is not enough to achieve climate neutrality, this renewable gas emerges as the only one capable of directly replacing fossil gas in industry, heating, and heavy transport, using existing infrastructure. Its relevance is not theoretical: countries like Czechia are demonstrating that, with the right framework, biomethane becomes a real driver of decarbonization, investment, and actively contributes to rural development.
An example of coherent policy: Czechia’s long-term commitment
The European Commission has just approved the Czech aid scheme of 3.7 billion euros to boost sustainable biomethane production. The program, financed by a combination of funds from emissions trading, guarantees of origin/sustainability proof, and, if necessary, state budget funds, is based on a competitive purchasing mechanism via 15-year Contracts for Difference (CfD).
This mechanism guarantees a stable price for producers: if the market pays below the reference price, the state covers the difference; if it is above, the producer returns the excess. The result is a predictable, transparent framework fully compatible with European competition.
The plan foresees tenders every six months between 2026 and 2028 and will support both new plants and the conversion of existing biogas facilities. In total, an estimated production of between 3.1 and 4.1 TWh/year of biomethane is expected, equivalent to approximately 350 million standard cubic meters.
Biogas production: a small country, a big result
Czechia has about 800 biogas plants and an energy production close to 15.4 TWh annually, largely linked to the agricultural and livestock sector. Spain, with a population four times larger and a GDP almost five times higher, operates barely 150 plants totaling around 4.7 TWh1.
In biomethane, the difference is even more pronounced: Czechia already produces close to 0.2 bcm per year, compared to just 350 GWh recorded in Spain. The relative density is telling: about 75 plants per million inhabitants compared to only 5 in Spain.
The Czech case shows that size or resource availability are not the key limitations, but rather the regulatory and financial framework. It is worth remembering that in 2025, Spain has again increased its energy consumption of fossil fuels in terms of primary energy, with a 3.09% growth in petroleum products and a 6.58% growth in natural gas consumption.
According to the most recent data from Eurostat, the World Bank, and national statistical institutes (INE and ČSÚ):
- Agriculture and livestock represent between 2 % and 3 % of GDP in both countries, but their strategic relevance for bioenergy and waste management is much greater than their macroeconomic weight.
- In relative terms, Czechia makes better use of its agricultural biomass to generate biogas and biomethane: it has about 800 plants compared to about 150 in Spain, despite having a much smaller economy in terms of size.
- Spain, with a much broader agricultural base, therefore has an untapped potential to convert its agricultural and livestock waste into renewable energy and biofertilizers (another basic pillar for reducing external dependence in the ‘farm to fork’ food security strategy.)
Five lessons Spain should learn
- Regulatory certainty: Czech CfDs provide 15-year visibility and guarantee bank financing. In Spain, the absence of a stable scheme hinders many projects that could start immediately.
- Auction schedule. Establishing semi-annual or annual tenders would allow for investment planning and generate real competition, as is the case in Czechia, Italy, France, and Germany.
- Reusing existing infrastructure: A significant number of Spanish biogas plants could be converted to biomethane with a contained investment (foregoing RECORE, or REER if currently producing electricity). Czechia has understood this and explicitly finances it.
- Linking climate and rural policy: The Czech model integrates biomethane production into its agricultural and waste strategy, and it is part of its circular economy strategy. Renewable gas becomes a tool to reduce methane emissions and produce local biofertilizer, closing the nutrient cycle.
- Biomethane as a backbone, not a complement.
Its National Energy and Climate Plan treats biomethane as a central vector of the energy, agricultural, livestock, waste management, and reduced external dependence on fertilizers system, and not as a waste management problem. This comprehensive vision is still nascent in Spain.
Opportunity for Spain
The paradox is that Spain has more potential than Czechia. The Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE) estimates a technical resource of more than 34 TWh/year, enough to cover half of the residential gas demand. Furthermore, the abundance of agricultural, livestock, and urban waste guarantees a stable raw material to sustain sustained growth in the sector.
Biomethane not only replaces fossil gas and reduces CO₂. It also prevents diffuse methane emissions in the countryside, stabilizes energy prices, and generates economic activity in rural areas. It is, probably, the most transversal and socially profitable climate policy that Spain can deploy between now and 2030.
Conclusion
The Czech example proves that biomethane does not need decades to consolidate: it only requires clear rules, long-term contracts, and investor confidence. It requires active, CROSS-CUTTING, and INSTITUTIONALIZED policies at all legal and administrative levels. Spain has the resources, technology, and companies to lead European renewable gas.
What is lacking is not projects: what is lacking is a national vision that places biomethane on the DECARBONIZATION MAP.
WITHOUT A CLEAR MAP, THERE IS NO ROUTE TO REAL DECARBONIZATION.
#Decarbonization #Biomethane #Regulation