Genia Bioenergy, developer of the biomethane plant in the parish of Amor, Leiria, and Floene, a gas distribution operator in Portugal, signed a contract today to connect the future biomethane plant to the grid.

The future biomethane plant will initially use the raw material from pig effluent to produce green gas, which will then be fed into the grid and distributed to industrial and domestic consumers.

"We've found an environmentally and economically sustainable solution for what we call agricultural effluent treatment. We're now using it as a raw material to obtain biomethane, which is currently our main focus, but also organic fertilizers that we can make available to the market," said Environment Councillor Luís Lopes.

According to the mayor, this system also allows for the recovery of water, which is then reintroduced into the system at a "lower cost," transforming everything into "a true circular economy."

Gabriel Sousa, CEO of Floene, explained that, similar to what happens with green electricity, consumers will also start consuming green gas, "without having to change anything."

"You don't need to change your water heater or gas installation to consume green energy," he emphasized.

The project for the future biomethane plant is awaiting licensing from the authorities overseeing the sector, a delay that is too long, according to the mayor of Leiria, Gonçalo Lopes.

The mayor called for a faster response from the authorities to these projects, which involve large investments.

Carlos Valente, territorial director in Portugal for Genia Bioenergy, revealed that the company "chose to buy time" by moving forward with a detailed project, "taking all the associated risks."

This detailed project is almost the final project, which can help skip steps, with the hope that it will thus receive a positive response by the end of the year, he noted.

The project began with an investment of 25 million euros, and now stands at 30 million euros.