• The terminal, developed by Enagás subsidiary Enagás Renovable and Genia Bioenergy, is set to be located in Vencillón (Huesca)
• The project, which the Government of Aragón could declare as an “Investment of Regional Interest”, will involve the sustainable management of more than 140,000 tonnes of organic waste each year in Aragón and the production of 92 GWh of biomethane
• This initiative contributes to Aragón's change of the energy model, promoting the circular economy and decarbonisation
The regional minister of Economy, Planning and Employment of the Government of Aragón, Marta Gastón, the Director General of Economy, Luis Lanaspa, and the Mayor of Vencillón (Huesca), Ramón Capel, held a meeting this Tuesday with those responsible for the construction project of a biogas production terminal in Vencillón, which the Government of Aragón could declare an “Investment of Regional Interest” to speed up its development.
The project will create approximately 12 direct jobs in rural areas, as well as being the driving force behind a circular ecosystem associated with waste management, the production of biofertilisers and agriculture. In turn, this will facilitate the creation of an economic ecosystem with farmers, agricultural producers and local waste managers, and will contribute to the development of rural areas in Aragón and the reuse of waste.
This facility, developed by Enagás’ subsidiary Enagás Renovable and the energy engineering firm Genia Bioenergy, and financed by the former, will be capable of biodigesting more than 140,000 tonnes of organic waste (mainly slurry) and converting it into biomethane with an energy capacity of 92GWh per year.
The Vencillón terminal, called “Huesca Este” (Huesca East), will be fed mainly with calf manure, waste from agri-food industries and sewage sludge.
The capacity to manage bio-waste thanks to this new terminal will bring Aragón closer to compliance with European, national and regional plans for the circular economy, energy transition and climate change (Europe’s Circular Economy Plan, EU Directive 2018/850 on waste management, treatment and recovery for municipalities, the Spanish Government’s Climate Change and Energy Transition Law, the 2021-2030 Objectives of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) drawn up by the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE) and Aragon's commitment to circular economy). In addition, it will save approximately 120,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.
In this terminal, biogas is obtained from the anaerobic digestion (through the action of bacteria that live in the absence of oxygen) of organic waste, a natural process that speeds up the production of this green gas with a high concentration of methane. The proposal also includes an upgrading process to convert this biogas into biomethane that is fully interchangeable with the gas circulating in the network, thus facilitating its injection, obtaining an economic return on waste and allowing households, industries and vehicles to consume energy from renewable sources.
The process also produces an organic amendment, through a circular process, similar to compost, and an equally organic liquid fertiliser that can be returned to the crops, thus closing the cycle of the circular economy and solving the problem of managing bio-waste that is particularly difficult to treat (such as slurry, manure and other waste likely to contaminate soils or aquifers) through a natural, agronomically safe and odourless process.
The declaration as an “Investment of Regional Interest” by the Government of Aragón would speed up the obtaining of the necessary permits to start construction and commissioning of this circular economy facility, which will promote sustainable economic development in the area where it is located, giving rise to a clear example of an environmentally circular model.
Enagás Renovable and Genia Bioenergy are promoting other projects throughout Spain that encourage environmental management and energy recovery of waste in the form of biogas and biomethane, in line with the goals of sustainable development and the circular economy, both in industrial and agricultural and livestock farming practices.
