The unprecedented crisis Europe faces due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has changed dramatically the global energy market and it has led to an energy crisis with huge negative consequences, bringing the European Union to rethink its energy policy and the future energy system. As a response to this new geopolitical situation, just a few weeks after the war started, the European Commission presented REPowerEU, a plan to rapidly reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels. The plan includes a series of important features, including boosting sustainable biomethane production to 35 bcm/year by 2030. In order to meet this gigantic growing demand, European biogas/biomethane producers and other key players along the value chain (e.g. biogas upgrading, biomethane integration within the gas network) will need to incorporate innovative solutions and be continuously supported by R&I.

To address this issue, the SUPEERA project brings together a group of eminent European scientists and leading industry to discuss research-industry cooperation practices and opportunities to accelerate innovation in the biomethane/biogas sector and to explore their replicability potential across Europe. In this endeavour, SUPEERA joins forces with the GreenMeUp project that aims to facilitate the wider uptake of biomethane in countries with slower market development policies.

Expected topics for discussion will be:

1) How can R&I contribute to accelerate biomethane production and unlock the feedstock potential?

2) How to best standardize integration of biomethane in the existing gas network?

3) Which policy framework could facilitate biomethane market development?

4) How to increase social acceptance and environmental impact of biomethane facilities and installations?