The first quantities of biomethane produced in Estonia have been filled in the fuel tanks of the vehicles

The guarantees of origin of biomethane (green gas) issued for biomethane produced in April have been deleted from the registry for now. This means that the first 353 megawatt-hours of domestic biomethane have been consumed in the transport sector.

“The ambition of Estonia is to use 10% of renewable fuels in the transport sector by 2020, of which 2-3% is planned to be covered with biomethane based on local raw material. The register of guarantees of origin of biomethane established by Elering creates a basis for the development of the local biomethane market based on clear rules of play," said Taavi Veskimägi, Elering's chairman of the board.

The quantities of biomethane produced in the biomethane production plants throughout almost two weeks in April have been provided with the guarantees of origin through the new register, and the green gas has already been filled in the fuel tanks of vehicles through the gas stations of Eesti Gaas. For biomethane produced in May the guarantees of origin will be issued again in the beginning of the next month.

Biomethane, or green gas, is a gaseous substance corresponding to the quality requirements of natural gas. It is produced from biodegradable waste, wastewater and sewage sludge, waste of agricultural origin and biomass of different origin. In Estonia biomethane is produced in a biomethane production plant of Rohegaas OÜ located in Kunda and in the near future production will also start in a Siimani biomethane plant of Biometaan OÜ located in Viljandi County, Põhja-Sakala Parish.

A guarantee of origin of gas is an electronic document that the system operator Elering issues to the producer based on its application and that proves that the producer has produced biomethane in Estonia. One guarantee of origin is issued for one megawatt-hour biomethane and the certificate is valid for 12 months.

The register of guarantees of origin of gas developed by Wisercat OÜ and launched this spring is meant to prove the origin of gas for the end consumer. This information system is used to issue guarantees of origin upon the producer’s request to facilitate trade, i.e transfer from one account to another and to cancel the guarantees of origin to prove to an end-user that the sold or consumed energy originates from biomethane. 

In order to boost the consumption and production of biomethane, the state pays support to the producers for the consumed quantity of biomethane, and the construction of the relevant gas stations is also supported. The first to sell biomethane in its compressed natural gas (CNG) stations was Eesti Gaas, which currently owns eight CNG stations. Alexela Oil operates two CNG stations at the moment. To date, the Environmental Investment Centre has supported the construction of 15 compressed natural gas stations, which means that almost all regions in Estonia are covered by the necessary infrastructure.