Belgium: EBA visits “Biogaz du Haut Geer” plant with MEP Denanot
On Wednesday 22 March, the president of EBA had the pleasure to visit the biogas plant “Biogaz du Haut Geer” along with Mr Jean-Paul Dedanot.
Mr Dedanot is a member the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, and also a shadow rapporteur for the AGRI committee working on the proposal for the revised Renewable Energy Directive.
The “Biogaz du Haut Geer” plant, located in Wallonia, is a one of a kind plant in Belgium. The plant runs on more than 30 different kind of waste originating from the surroundings, using very little maize as a yield booster and stabiliser of the biogas production process. The main feedstock used is food waste, from the Hesbaye Frost SA, a nearby plant producing frozen vegetables. Biowaste such as garden waste from Geer, the nearby town with which the biogas plant is well-integrated, are also collected to be digested.
The biogas plant burns its biogas production in order to produce electricity, which is in turn sold not to the electrical network but to back to Hesbaye Frost. This unique situation is a win-win for both parties: it guarantees the security of demand for the biogas plant, which is not dependent to the price fluctuation of the network anymore, and Hesbaye Frost is supplied with entirely renewable electricity produced from its food waste. Hesbaye Frost and “Biogaz du Haut Geer” have thus achieved to turn waste into a valuable resource, following the circular economy and cascading principles highlighted in the European legislation. The heat released during the biogas production process is used on site to dry local wood waste and produce briquettes, a great fuel to use at home in an fireplace.
Find here more info about the plant (in French).
