Shop

A once-in-a lifetime growth over this decade Despite the pandemic and its impact on supply chains and fuel demand in the transportation sector, the RNG sector has been resilient. Global RNG production was up 20% in 2020 to 5 billion cubic metres (bcm). It has more than doubled since 2015. There were 1,161 biogas upgrading facilities operating in the world at the end of 2020, with a production capacity of 800,000 Nm³/h (or 6.7 bcm/y), ensuring healthy growth going forward. The market remains dominated by Europe, but the United States, which became the world’s leading producer in 2019, ahead of Germany, continues to register significant growth. In other regions, biomethane production is still limited but is taking off in Brazil, Canada, China and India.

This report updates the 2019 CEDIGAZ’s comprehensive study on global biomethane (also known as renewable natural gas, RNG). It focuses on biogas upgrading and looks at key developments in the marketplace, policies, and major markets. Global RNG production reached 4 bcm in 2019, a doubling since 2015. There are now close to 1,000 biogas upgrading plants operating in the world. The market remains dominated by Europe (2.4 bcm), but the United States is catching up rapidly and, in fact, has become the world’s leading producer (1.1 bcm), ahead of Germany. In other regions, biomethane production is still limited (0.4 bcm collectively), but the market is taking off in Brazil, Canada, China and India. Recent years have seen significant shifts in terms of key sources of demand and market drivers. Hard-to-abate sectors (road transportation, shipping, heat) are becoming the focus of support policies, while cost reduction in wind and solar power generation makes the use of biomethane in the power sector less attractive, except for providing flexibility. RNG is more and more recognized for its key role in decarbonizing and bringing sustainability in the agriculture and waste sectors and is increasingly included in climate policies targeting these sectors.

This report updates the 2019 CEDIGAZ’s comprehensive study on global biomethane (also known as renewable natural gas, RNG). It focuses on biogas upgrading and looks at key developments in the marketplace, policies, and major markets. Global RNG production reached 4 bcm in 2019, a doubling since 2015. There are now close to 1,000 biogas upgrading plants operating in the world. The market remains dominated by Europe (2.4 bcm), but the United States is catching up rapidly and, in fact, has become the world’s leading producer (1.1 bcm), ahead of Germany. In other regions, biomethane production is still limited (0.4 bcm collectively), but the market is taking off in Brazil, Canada, China and India. Recent years have seen significant shifts in terms of key sources of demand and market drivers. Hard-to-abate sectors (road transportation, shipping, heat) are becoming the focus of support policies, while cost reduction in wind and solar power generation makes the use of biomethane in the power sector less attractive, except for providing flexibility. RNG is more and more recognized for its key role in decarbonizing and bringing sustainability in the agriculture and waste sectors and is increasingly included in climate policies targeting these sectors.

The Indian gas sector is at a turning point. Strong growth is expected in gas and LNG demand driven by favourable policies, rising investment in downstream infrastructure by domestic and foreign companies and the availability of competitive LNG prices. India’s growing urgency to embrace cleaner fuels has increased the importance of natural gas in national energy policies. Together with renewables, natural gas is seen as a solution to address critical energy challenges in India. The strong government push to accelerate its penetration in the energy mix has materialised in concrete policy actions to establish key infrastructure, including the building of inter- and intra-state pipelines, LNG terminals, CGD networks and CNG/LNG refuelling stations.

The entry of big players into the downstream gas market, in partnerships with strong Indian partners, offers a key leverage to the Indian vision to realise a gas market-based economy. They can deliver competitive and affordable LNG supplies and accelerate gas infrastructure build out, thus solving two key bottlenecks on the Indian gas market. Energy majors will facilitate and accelerate gas market growth and enlarge the gas market with innovative solutions adapted to Indian conditions. A larger gas sector augurs well with Indian economy as well as for the environment and is a win-win situation for all stakeholders.

While the COVID-19 crisis has introduced an additional uncertainty to natural gas demand growth, the Indian gas market fundamentals are robust and long-term growth propects remain strong.

This report provides a detailed analysis of the booming biomethane market as governments around the world increasingly recognize the many benefits of renewable natural gas.

Since 2010, world biomethane production has increased exponentially, reaching three billion cubic meters in 2017 and there will soon be more than 1,000 biomethane production plants operating in thirty-four countries, up from 720 at year-end 2017.

For many years a European phenomenon, Green Gas is Going Global.

The report contains three parts:

1. An overview of global biomethane production and markets, biogas upgrading plants, key drivers and future trends (region by region)
2. Country reviews for forty countries in Europe, North America, Asia, Central & South America and Africa
3. In-depth case studies on key developed and emerging biomethane markets, e.g. U.S., Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, China and India.

 

It complements the CEDIGAZ Global Biomethane Database

Accelerated reforms and focused policies aimed at increasing the role of gas and renewables in the energy mix combine to improve the natural gas demand outlook of China and India

Thanks to India's rising economy and population, the country's outlook for growth in energy demand is robust.  The role of gas in the country's energy mix, however, is hard to determine. Today, India's primary energy mix is dominated by coal and oil. The role of natural gas is limited: only 6% in 2016.  But the government wants to make India a gas-based economy and raise the share of natural gas in the energy mix to 15% by 2022, although the timing remains uncertain. This paper analyses gas demand trends in India by 2025-30 and draws on two reports recently published by the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) and the Bureau of Economic Geology (BEG)/Centre for Energy Economics (CEE), University of Texas. Gas consumption in India is driven by five sectors: fertilizer (34% of total gas demand in fiscal year 2015-16), electric power (23%), refining (11%), city gas distribution, including transport (11%), and petrochemical (8%) industries. In 2016, after five years of consecutive declines, gas consumption increased to 55 bcm, boosted by sales to city gas distribution mainly. The country faces a widening gap between indigenous gas production and demand, which is met by increasing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) imports. LNG imports surged by 34% over 2015 to 25 bcm in 2016, making India the fourth largest importer in the world.