Biomethane is no longer an emerging technology: it has become a strategic vector of the energy transition. In Catalonia and Spain, the debate no longer revolves around its technical viability or its climate value —questions that have been widely established— but around how to scale the sector in an orderly, efficient and sustainable way. Biomethane: a driver of change for the energy transition in Catalonia and Spain | Fulls d’Enginyeria
We are facing a change of phase: the shift from the individual project to the building of an industrial sector. And that shift demands strategy.
A context with potential… and structural challenges
Spain has one of the largest biomethane production potentials in Europe, thanks to its agro-industrial, livestock and waste management base. Catalonia, in particular, concentrates a high availability of organic resources and significant industrial thermal demand, key elements for the deployment of biomethane.
Even so, the sector still carries structural challenges: fragmented projects, complex administrative procedures, difficulties in fitting into the territory and a growing need for professionalisation.
Growth will not be automatic. Clear strategies need to be defined.
1. From “one‑off” projects to scalable platforms
One of the main growth levers is moving beyond the model based on isolated projects. Scaling the sector requires homogeneous project portfolios, technical and operational standardisation, and administrative replicability. Estrategia-Catalana-Biogas-2030_AdG.pdf
In Catalonia and Spain, this makes it possible to reduce risks, accelerate timelines and facilitate the entry of institutional capital. Value no longer lies in a single plant, but in the ability to deploy many of them efficiently.
2. Control of the resource as a competitive advantage
In biomethane, the feedstock is not an abstract commodity: it is territorial. The most solid growth strategies are those that secure stable agreements with livestock farmers and the agro-industry, integration with waste management systems, and long-term models of collaboration with the territory.
In a context such as Catalonia's, with a high density of agro-industrial activity, control of the resource becomes a key differentiating factor and an indispensable condition for the bankability of projects.
3. From energy producer to industry partner
Biomethane's growth will come largely from industrial demand. Consumer companies are not looking only for renewable gas, but for long-term decarbonisation solutions, supply stability and alignment with ESG targets and European regulation.
This obliges the sector to evolve: from energy producer to strategic partner of industry. In Catalonia, with a diverse and heat-intensive industrial fabric, this approach is particularly relevant.
4. Vertical integration and value diversification
The most mature growth strategies incorporate vertical integration: biomethane production, operation and maintenance, commercialisation, digestate and fertiliser management, and guarantees of origin and associated services.
This approach makes it possible to improve margins, reduce dependencies and turn projects into complete energy infrastructure, not merely generation assets.
5. Professionalisation, governance and structured financing
As the sector grows, so do the demands placed on it. The step change in scale requires solid governance structures, transparency and reporting, professional risk management, and the capacity to engage with investors and public administrations.
In Spain, where the regulatory framework is still evolving, this professionalisation is key to building trust and consolidating the sector as a structural part of the energy system. Spain's biomethane production potential would cover close to 43% of national natural gas demand | EIC
Catalonia and Spain facing the growth challenge
The potential of biomethane is indisputable, but its deployment will depend on the sector's ability to think strategically, to integrate territory, industry and financing, and to execute with a long-term view.
The future of biomethane will not be decided only at the plants, but in the decisions taken today on growth models, collaboration and scale. Turning biomethane into a key national infrastructure is possible. But it requires moving from the project to the platform.
auma auma supports this change of phase in the biomethane sector from a comprehensive perspective, combining technical knowledge, business strategy and a deep understanding of the territory. In a context such as the Catalan and Spanish one, where the challenge is no longer to demonstrate the potential of biomethane but to deploy it with judgement, rigour and scale, the difference is made by the strategic decisions taken from the outset.
From defining the project model to structuring scalable platforms, the relationship with the territory and integration with industrial demand, the sector's growth demands mature and executable approaches. Turning biomethane into a key national energy infrastructure is possible, but it requires a long-term vision, execution capacity and solid alliances.
It is at this point that bioenergy ceases to be a theoretical opportunity and becomes an industrial reality.