Biogas in Portugal: Status and public policies in a European context

The current status and legal framework of biogas production in Portugal are analyzed and compared to that of five other European countries, characterized by wide-ranging diversity of substrates and biogas applications. With this comparison, and with the calculation of the biogas energy potential in Portugal, the authors want to assess the significance of developing the Portuguese biogas sector. This study illustrates that the highest biogas feed-in tariffs are applied in the countries with a more developed sector. In Portugal, despite the fact that the organic effluents are a relevant energy source (873 Mm3 biogas per year; 4889 GW h yr−1) and that new feed-in tariffs were established, biogas valorisation is still at an early stage. The importance of anaerobic digestion was only recognized in 2007 and the present installed power is about 10% of the potential electrical power (229 MW). Therefore, it is desirable to strengthen the national and regional biogas market.

► This work is a contribution to promote the development of national biogas sector.
► Current state of biogas production in EU is presented: five countries are considered.
► Portuguese legal framework on biogas is compared to other European countries.
► Organic effluents produced in Portugal are by themselves a relevant source of energy.
► The biogas sector in Portugal is still at an early stage of growth.