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

Hungary
Status quo- biogas plants and biomethane plants
The biogas market in Hungary is in a development phase. There are already 56
biogas plants in operation generating electricity from landfill gas (8), sewage gas
(14) or biowaste and agricultural substrates (36). In 2010, in Zalaegerszeg, a city
in the west of Hungary, the country’s first biomethane project was implemented at
the municipal waste water treatment plant. Raw sewage gas is upgraded by water
scrubber technology to natural gas quality and utilised as vehicular fuel. Another
biomethane plant is under development in Kaposvar. Biogas is to be sourced from
organic residues of the local sugar factory and upgraded by membrane technology
in the future. The biomethane thus produced, is intended to feed into the low
pressure grid.
Political targets for biogas and biomethane production
Hungary is subject to a binding target of 13 % of energy from RES by 2020.
According to the Renewable Energy Strategy for 2007-2020, Hungary is expected to
reach this target mainly by an increase of the use of renewable energy sources
from 55 PJ in 2006 to 186.4 PJ by 2020.
However, in Hungary’s National Energy Efficiency Action Plan, approved in
December 2010, the government set an even more ambitious target of 14.65 %.
The 2010 target of 3.6 % was actually achieved in 2007, mainly due to the increase
of biomass utilisation. By 2020, the potential biogas production is expected to reach
32 MW, which would equal to 5 % of the total renewable energy generated in
Hungary.
Figure 6: Hungarian gas transmission grid (source www.fgsz.hu)
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