Enagas Signs Biogas Agreement
Spain's national gas network Enagas and the country's main forestry company Ence said November 6 they have signed an agreement to develop renewable gas from biomass.
The goal is to use excess biomass to generate green hydrogen and synthetic natural gas that can be used in industrial and mobility sectors or be injected directly into the pipeline network.
Enagas said it represents a way to support non-electric decarbonisation, while Ence said it could add value and create jobs from surplus wood or agricultural biomass in Spain.
Both listed companies said that Spain has huge potential in this type of technological solutions, due to the country's large 'forest mass' which needs to be cleared up in order to prevent fires. They also add that there is also a high volume of wasted agricultural biomass, whose uncontrolled burning in fields is highly polluting as well as representing a loss of energy. Their statement provided little detail of what research or pilot projects they might fund.
In Ence's 3Q results last month, it said high wood pulp prices had helped lift its profits by 54% to €92mn, and that it had decided to buy a 50 MW thermosolar plant at Puertollano in the central Spanish region of Ciudad Real which should contribute annual pre-tax earnings of €18mn.