UK ADBA asks government to value biogas role to decarbonize economy
The UK Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA) welcomes the Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener published by the UK Government, in which it acknowledges the role that anaerobic digestion (AD), biogas and biomethane can play in achieving the country’s targets. By capturing harmful gases from organic wastes and transforming those into valuable bioproducts, AD technology currently reduces the UK’s GHG emissions by 1% annually. With the industry fully deployed, this could rise to 6% of the UK’s total GHG emissions by 2030.
The trade body however thinks that the strategy significantly underestimates the contribution that biogas and biomethane can make in decarbonizing key sectors of the UK economy, notably transport, heat, agriculture, and waste management. While government policy aims to triple biomethane in the gas grid by 2030, ADBA’s modelling suggests that the industry could deliver far more, increasing its biomethane production ten-fold – enough to heat over 4.5 million homes each year.
“We were encouraged to see the recognition given to AD, biogas and biomethane in contributing towards meeting the UK’s Net Zero target. It shows that our work in highlighting the sector’s potential to decarbonise the UK’s most carbon-intensive sectors of heat, transport, agriculture, and waste management is bearing fruit. However, the strategy falls far short of the ambition needed for realizing that potential. Our research demonstrates that our industry can deliver significantly more, and – crucially – far more quickly, than is predicted in the plan,” said Charlotte Morton, ADBA Chief Executive.
“The UK is among the first signatories of the EU-US-led Global Methane Pledge, which aims to cut methane emissions by at least 30% against 2020 levels by 2030. The Global Methane Assessment published by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) earlier this year indicates that tackling methane emissions caused by human activity is the most ‘immediate and cost-effective’ way to keep global warming below 2°C. Unsurprisingly, the CCAC’s report recognized AD as one of the readily available technologies that can deliver methane emissions’ reduction at low cost. As we have said multiple times, there’s no Net Zero without biogas,” she added.
