Overview of biomethane markets and regulations ... - Green Gas Grids

Figure 5: German transmission grid (source www.eon.de)
Natural gas plays a small role in the transportation sector. As of today, roughly
90,000 (0.2 % of the total cars in Germany) are powered by natural gas. Although
the number of CNG refuelling stations has increased to 900, the infrastructure is
still considered less dense by car consumers. In contrast, service station operators
complain about the poor exploitation of gas refuelling stations.
Technical standards for biomethane and natural gas
The Ordinance on Gas Network Access (Gasnetzzugangsverordnung / GasNZV)
provides the framework for the access to the natural gas grid. It governs several
important issues such as the following:
n Procedure regulation: how to apply for grid connection
including time frames for the different steps,
n Responsibilities and cost split for grid connection,
n Maximum methane slip of 0.2 % from 30 th of April 2012,
n Provision of bonus for avoided network tariffs of
0.7 €cent / kWh biomethane to reward not using the
transmission pipeline system (in contrast to natural gas
imports).
Basically, the Ordinance stipulates a cost split of 25 % / 75 % between grid
connection applicant and the grid operator. If the distance between upgrading plant
and the grid connection point is less than 1 km, the costs for biomethane producer
will be caped at 250,000 €. If the distance between the upgrading plant and the
grid connection point exceeds 10 km, biomethane producers will have to bear the
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