Biogas pilot plant to be built

Biogas reduces greenhouse gas emissions in Norway, while also helping to reduce emissions of local air pollution and noise pollution from heavy vehicles. The Government today presents a biogas strategy which represents concrete steps to follow up the 2012 Climate Agreement.

“If Norway is to be a low emission society by 2050, we need a variety of environmental measures. Biogas is one of them,” said Climate and Environment Minister Tine Sundtoft.

The strategy demonstrates considerable potential for biogas production until the year 2020 and the potential for a further increase after that.

“That indicates that increased production and use of biogas in Norway should be facilitated. Biogas should be part of the ongoing, long-term efforts to transform Norway into a low emission society,” said Sundtoft.

Costs have until now been the main obstacle for more production and use of biogas. For this reason, NOK 8 million of the Climate and Environment Ministry budget will be set aside for a competition to build a pilot plant for biogas based on other raw materials than waste. This will help reduce the cost of production and thus achieve greater emission reductions in the future. A further NOK 2 million is being allocated to research related to the plant.

As announced in the budget, Transnova’s tasks will now come under Enova. This will mean a more comprehensive assessment of potential projects and a more coordinated use of implementation tools.

“We have already seen several players take the initiative in the use of biogas. I opened a new production plant in Hadeland in June 2014, and I have learned about the measures for heavy vehicles taken by the Post Office and ASKO. Østfold has been a leading county with its 100 biogas buses in Fredrikstad and Sarpsborg, and Oslo City Council has opened a production facility at Nes,” said Sundtoft.

FACTS: Instruments to be used in the strategy

• The Government will work to increase knowledge about biogas. In order to build knowledge about biogas production based on other substrates than wet organic waste, primarily manure, a pilot plant will be built on the basis of a competition to be announced through Innovation Norway’s environmental technology programme.
• The Ministry of Climate and Environment will allocate funds from the 2015 budget for biogas research linked to the pilot plant, under the Research Council of Norway.
• The biogas initiative will be one of the measures covered by the increased return from the Fund for Climate Change, Renewable Energy and Energy Conversion as a result of capital contributions in excess of the ambitions of the Climate Agreement.
• From 2015, the Government will shift its work on sustainable transportation through Transnova from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration to Enova. Allocating all such work to Enova will lead to a more comprehensive assessment of potential projects and a more coordinated use of implementation tools in the area.
• The Ministry of Climate and Environment will consider various cost-effective measures to promote the separation of wet organic waste from households and businesses.
• Stricter requirements will be considered for the environmental and eco-efficient storage and spreading of manure in connection with the revision of the Fertilizer Regulations.
• The Ministries of Transport and Communications, Climate and Environment and Industry and Fisheries are conducting further work on the proposal for requirements for low and zero emission vehicles in public procurement.
• A road usage tax on fuel will be considered as part of the overall review of motor vehicle taxes.
• The Ministry of Climate and Environment will establish a national contact forum for biogas interests, led by the Environment Agency.