Europe holds sufficient resources to scale biomethane significantly, but regulatory barriers and slow implementation are preventing the sector from delivering on that potential, according to a new report published on 21 April, the same day the European Commission released its Accelerate EU communication.
The report, launched by the European Biogas Association, estimates total biomethane potential at 34–35 bcm by 2030 across the EU-27 plus the UK, Norway and Switzerland. That figure is lower than previous assessments — not because the sustainable resource base has shrunk, but because insufficient action has been taken to deploy projects and mobilise available feedstocks in time.
Europe currently produces around 22 bcm of biogases annually, of which 5 bcm is biomethane, with output almost entirely based on anaerobic digestion. The gap between current production and 2030 potential underscores the scale of the deployment challenge facing the sector.
Agricultural residues, animal manure, sequential crops and industrial wastewater together account for 81% of the identified potential, and around 60% of that total is concentrated in five countries: Germany, France, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom.
The long-term projections are considerably larger — 116–132 bcm by 2040 and up to 205 bcm by 2050 — reinforcing biomethane's role in a fully defossilised European energy system.
The report's publication coincides with renewed pressure on European energy policy following another costly year of fossil fuel dependence. The European Commission estimates the EU spent €336.7 billion on energy imports in 2025, with a further €22 billion attributable to recent geopolitical tensions.
Harmen Dekker, CEO of the European Biogas Association, said Europe had the resources to scale up biomethane but that deployment was being held back by persistent regulatory barriers.
'Without a stable and coherent policy framework, the sector cannot scale at the pace required to deliver on Europe's energy and climate objectives,' he said.
EBA revises down Europe’s biomethane potential as policy gaps slow deployment
