National Grid is an international compagny that delivers gas and electricity to millions of people across Great Britain and Northeastern USA. Related to gas, it owns and operates the high pressure gas transport infrastructure in Britain and its distribution business delivers gas to 11 million households and businesses.

Janine Freeman, head of National Grid’s Sustainable Gas Group reports that, presently, in the UK, there is only a small production of biogas coming from landfill and sewage plants, mainly used to generate electricity. However, waste ressources could be used quite more efficiently since turning them into biomethane, this biogas could meet half the country’s domestic gas needs.

Moreover, biomethane has a great number of benefits. First, it could help to achieve the target of 15% of energy coming from renewable sources by 2020. Then, it provides a solution for the organic waste recycling. It also could help the UK with a secure supply of gas as the North Sea reserves are running down. And eventually, as the UK has already an extensive gas grid, there will be no major technical difficulties to deliver biogas.

In fact, the report concludes that the main issue will be the implementation of relevant commercial incentives. Promoting biomethane requires Government commitment to a comprehensive waste management policy.

The report for National Grid was submitted to Ed Miliband, the Britain Minister for Energy and Climate Change.

Source: www.nationalgrid.com access February 2009