Biogas Policies in the EU: Levelling up or locking in?

The briefing argues that the EU's RePowerEU target to produce 35 billion m3 of biomethane by 2030 lacks an environmental impact assessment, creating risks of methane leakage and the intensification of industrial livestock farming. It finds that no existing EU policy sufficiently mitigates the environmental and social impacts of the sector, and that financial frameworks may channel over €37 billion into projects without robust sustainability checks. The report highlights a systemic issue with methane leaks, noting that real-world losses may be higher than official estimates, and warns that using biomethane to maintain existing gas grids could delay the phase-out of fossil fuels.

• The EU's RePowerEU target to increase annual biomethane production to 35 billion m3 by 2030 was established without an environmental impact assessment, which the report argues could lead to negative consequences for climate, environment, and communities.
• Existing EU policies are insufficient to address six key environmental and social impacts of biogas production, including methane leaks, local community impacts, and land-use change. Two of these areas are not addressed at all, and four are only partially addressed.
• There is a significant risk of 'locking in' industrial animal agriculture because the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) treats manure as a zero-emission waste product, ignoring its life-cycle emissions and the emissions from enteric fermentation.
• Methane leakage is a systemic problem across Europe, with some estimates suggesting 5% of produced methane is lost in EU supply chains, while other reports suggest production-only losses could reach 12%.
• Financial frameworks, including the Recovery and Resilience Facility, risk directing over €37 billion toward biogas projects without robust sustainability checks, potentially displacing more sustainable energy solutions.
• The promotion of biomethane as a 'renewable' gas may allow the fossil fuel industry to entrench its existing infrastructure, delaying the transition to truly sustainable energy systems.
• National policies in Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the UK actively encourage the use of manure as a feedstock, which the report claims can drive the intensification of industrial livestock production.

APA

van Gelder, J. W., Boev, P., Laplane, J., Sanchez, J., Schepers, D., Stravens, M., & Witkowska, A. (n.d.). Biogas Policies in the EU: Levelling up or locking in? Changing Markets Foundation. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Biogas-policies-in-the-EU_Levelling-up-or-locking-in.pdf

Chicago

van Gelder, Jan Willem, Pavel Boev, Juliette Laplane, Jim Sanchez, Debbie Schepers, Manon Stravens, and Aleksandra Witkowska. Biogas Policies in the EU: Levelling up or locking in? Changing Markets Foundation, n.d. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Biogas-policies-in-the-EU_Levelling-up-or-locking-in.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=van Gelder |first1=Jan Willem |last2=Boev |first2=Pavel |last3=Laplane |first3=Juliette |last4=Sanchez |first4=Jim |last5=Schepers |first5=Debbie |last6=Stravens |first6=Manon |last7=Witkowska |first7=Aleksandra |title=Biogas Policies in the EU: Levelling up or locking in? |publisher=Changing Markets Foundation |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Biogas-policies-in-the-EU_Levelling-up-or-locking-in.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vangelderndbiogas, author = {van Gelder, Jan Willem and Boev, Pavel and Laplane, Juliette and Sanchez, Jim and Schepers, Debbie and Stravens, Manon and Witkowska, Aleksandra}, title = {{Biogas Policies in the EU: Levelling up or locking in?}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Biogas-policies-in-the-EU_Levelling-up-or-locking-in.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }