With the memorandum of understanding signed between Biotrend Enerji ve Çevre Yatırımları AŞ, a subsidiary of Doğanlar Holding, and the Germany-based energy company Uniper, the conversion of existing waste-based biogas facilities to biomethane production and new capacity development opportunities will be examined.
In the study, the suitability of the facilities for biomethane production, new capacity development opportunities and options for transporting the gas to be produced to Europe via the Turkish natural gas network will be evaluated.
Biomethane, produced by enriching the biogas obtained from organic waste by purifying it from impurities such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and moisture, is known as a renewable gas fuel with similar properties to natural gas.
Türkiye's biomethane potential, which is estimated to reach up to 50 terawatt hours per year, stands out as an important resource in terms of converting waste into renewable gas.
Biomethane is considered one of the renewable gas sources because it can be used in existing natural gas infrastructure and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the industry and transportation sectors.
"A very important step forward"
Michael Lewis, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Germany-based energy company Uniper, told AA correspondent that they are working on a collaboration that could pave the way for biomethane imports from Türkiye to Germany.
In his evaluation of the memorandum of understanding signed within the scope of the Turkey-North Rhine-Westphalia Business Forum, Lewis said, "We are investigating whether it is possible to bring biomethane from Türkiye to Germany. It is a very important step forward. We can contribute to Germany reaching its decarbonization targets by supplying biomethane from Türkiye. We need to clarify some regulatory issues as well as commercial and technical issues. We are working with the Turkish company Biotrend and to develop a new cooperation with Turkey in the field of energy." "We are very pleased to make the effort." he said.
Noting that they are investigating how the cooperation can be realized at the current stage, Lewis said, "We are just at the beginning of the road, but we think there is a significant market potential in the long term. We do not want to talk about numbers right now. We are talking about how we can overcome technical, commercial and regulatory difficulties." he said.
Lewis said, "Ultimately, biomethane will be imported from Türkiye to Europe. The final destination will be Germany or the European Union." he said.
Stating that biomethane can be transported by injecting it into existing natural gas pipelines, Lewis stated that the amount given to the system should be verified with certificates.
Lewis stated that the work is currently in the conceptual development phase and there is no timetable yet.
"We aim for a biomethane value chain extending from Türkiye to the world"
Doğanlar Holding Group CEO Hakan Göral said that the agreement with Uniper is an important start in terms of bringing the biogas potential in Türkiye to the growing biomethane market.
Göral stated that the company, with its facility portfolio spread across different regions, has the potential to produce approximately 1.4 terawatt hours of biomethane annually as of the first quarter of the year, and said, "Our priority is to preserve the existing infrastructure as much as possible, starting from the facilities with the highest biomethane potential, and carry out a gradual, high economic value and maximum benefit for the environment." he said.
Stating that they will conduct feasibility studies by analyzing the technical and economic suitability of existing facilities for biomethane production in the first stage, Göral said, "We will evaluate not only the biogas production capacity, but also elements such as the purification of the gas, the location of the facilities, the properties and continuity of the raw material, existing infrastructure conditions, carbon density and the compliance of biomethane with the sustainability criteria that will be accepted in our country and Europe." he said.
Stating that they aim to implement pilot and commercial scale applications for increasing biogas to biomethane, separating carbon dioxide, improving gas quality and establishing the necessary measurement and certification infrastructure in the facilities to be selected in the second stage, Göral said that the third stage will be to present the biomethane to be produced to suitable markets.
At this point, Göral pointed out that Uniper's energy trade and supply chain experience in Europe will create a significant synergy and continued as follows:
"As Biotrend, we aim to create a biomethane value chain with confirmed sustainability and traceability, extending from Türkiye to Europe and the world, in line with our goal of becoming carbon neutral in 2040. We plan to produce biomethane that can be traded in the world and in Europe and whose carbon reduction performance can be verified. We will contribute to the implementation of a new circular economy model that utilizes Türkiye's existing organic waste and biogas potential not only in electricity production but also in renewable gas conversion."
Göral added that four main topics stand out for the export of biomethane to be produced: technical suitability, correct operating principles, legal infrastructure and sustainability certification.
