Let's talk about biomethane.

It may be a gas,

but for the EU and its citizens, its benefits are solid.

Why?

Mainly because of what it is:

a source of sustainable,

renewable and clean energy,

that can be made from organic waste.

Things like manure,

food scraps,

damaged crops,

or any other plant matter and sewage sludge

that would otherwise pollute our environment

and contribute to warming the planet.

In other words, biomethane production is a modern way of waste management,

that gives opportunity to transform a part of the municipal waste

into a climate change mitigation tool,

instead of contributing to it.

Making more of biomethane in the EU will help us decarbonise our economy,

increase our independence from imported fossil fuels,

and strengthen our energy security.

In the EU, we have the potential to greatly increase

our biomethane production,

so the European Commission has set an ambitious but realistic target

to produce 35 billion cubic meters of biomethane

per year in the EU by 2030,

which is equal to 20% of the natural gas the EU imported from Russia in 2022.

It's clear that sustainable biomethane makes environmental sense.

But it also has great economic value.

It helps reduce energy costs for individuals and businesses in the EU,

ensuring uninterrupted energy supply,

insulating us from rising fossil fuel prices.

It prevents transformation costs for industries and homes,

because it can be used in the same systems as natural gas.

It also creates new income streams for the rural areas where it is produced.

Biomethane also gives agriculture a boost

because digestate,

the organic material left behind after biomethane is produced,

is rich in organic macro-nutrients,

nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium,

making it an excellent fertiliser for crops.

And on the subject of agriculture,

the more livestock waste we put into biomethane production,

the more we prevent ordinary methane,

one of the most potent greenhouse gases, from entering the atmosphere.

All of these benefits make it clear why the European Commission

has made biomethane so prominent in its REPowerEU plan:

to accelerate clean energy transition,

move away from fossil fuels,

and ensure affordable, secure and sustainable energy for Europe.