Strategic authonomy and infrastructure

There is an urgent need to strengthen EU’s dependence on natural gas and fertiliser imports.

62.5% of all fuels consumed in 2022 were imported. While some countries have reduced their imports significantly in the recent past years, an increase in imports was observed in various other Member States. Biogases can be produced and traded within Europe, ensuring the EU’s security of supply, and avoiding dependence on external providers.

The deployment of biogases to replace fossil fuels do not require the large investments to develop new infrastructure. The existing gas infrastructure is biomethane-ready. This is key to ramping up decarbonisation and providing affordable renewable energy for consumers.

Likewise the EU’s reliance on imported fertilisers and exposure to price volatility poses a number of risks to food security: there is a clear need for more sustainable alternative fertilisers within the EU to ensure both strategic autonomy and global food security. Digestate obtained from the production of biogases has the potential to replace a portion of the N-, P- and K- synthetic fertilisers used within the EU.